Kur and the Crown
by Neeko96
Summary: Even on the run from enemies and Supposed allies, the Saturdays still try to do their jobs. What happens when they find a creature even they can't handle? This mysterious cat can disappear and jump through walls, but Drew thinks she may know someone who could help. She just so happens to know a certain couple who specialize in ghosts, but is that really what the creature is?
1. Chapter 1

**So this fic has been a long time coming I know. I promised a sequel to my "Saturday's Phantom Encounter" Early last year... Yeah, stuff happens. Anyway, It did initially start out as a sequel, but after lots and lots and lots (A couple more times) of editing, I eventually came around to a fresh start idea. I just couldn't find myself liking my original anymore...**

 **Anyway, so here we go, I want to start off with a little background info for each universe.**

 **SS - This story line occurs after Kur parts 1 and 2. This is the 2 part season 3 premier and happens just before the Thousand Eyes of Auizotal. For my own use, I've taken a few small liberties with how the characters will react (VERY small ones) In order to make the story more serious, but at the same time, don't expect them to be too different.**

 **DP - This one is a no "Phantom Planet" fic. Assume all events aside from that one have already occurred unless I state otherwise. Everyone knows that the timeline for DP is... hard to read sometimes so Danny will be 15 to allow for time for a realistic time flow. He'll be experienced of course, and more serious in many cases. I've also taken a few liberties for Jack's character for the convenience of my fic. Jack is still clumsy, loud, oblivious... yada yada, but he won't be a complete idiot. He'll know science, and how any of his inventions work (for the most part).**

 **BTW, I want to thank Hiccups-are-better and my friend Kitty-chan for helping look this fict over before hand.=^-^=**

 **Thx for bearing with that little intro and I hope you will enjoy.**

 **Ch 1. A Wonderful Cultural Experience...**

* * *

It was a calm day in Amity Park as the summer began and the students flooded out of the building. Shouts and hollers could be heard as they cheered for the summer long break from their educational prison. One trio in particular seemed to be out of place, however, with the excitement in their eyes seemingly absent. "So what did Frostbite say?"

Danny gave a shrug as he let out a sigh. "He told me it was mysterious and he would look into it. The weird part was how worried he sounded; like he'd seen it before but didn't want to tell me."

Sam raised a brow. "Why would he do that? Don't the FarFrozen practically worship the ground you walk on?"

"I wouldn't say that." He responded with lack luster emotion. "They just appreciate what I've done."

"In a crazy worship kinda way." Tucker added in as he tapped at his PDA. "Anyway, I hope he has better luck than me. All I can find about it is some crazy cult from the early 1200's. Needless to say, it's really weird stuff." He turned the screen to show his friends the picture of black robed men bowing to a tapestry.

"Oh wow….. cults really are represented well in the movies."

Sam rolled her eyes at the geek. "Well, whatever it is, it's probably not that." She then placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Relax Danny. I'm sure Frostbite has you covered."

Danny gave her his best smile as he grabbed the strap of his back pack. "Yeah, but I can't help being worried about all the weird stuff that's been going on lately. Especially after that Giraffe guy."

Tucker couldn't help but laugh at the mention of it. "Tucker!" The two scolded.

"What? Come on Danny, the way that guy was taunting you while drinking tea was hilarious."

Danny rolled his eyes. "For you maybe."

Sam shook her head before changing the subject. "So, movie marathon at my house?"

"You know it!" Tucker exclaimed as he pointed her way.

"Danny?" Sam questioned with worry in her eyes.

"Hmm? Oh yeah….. 6 right?"

"Yeah."

Danny gave a nod. "I'll see you then." It was then that the trio split and headed to their respective houses. Sam took one more back glance at Danny before continuing on with worry still on her face.

* * *

As soon as Danny walked into the door, he knew something was up. There were several boxes lined up at the entrance to the kitchen and his dad was not in the lab for once. "What's up?"

Jack got off the couch and placed down his needle craft. "Oh, hey Danny-o! Hurry up and get ready!"

Danny gave him a blank stare before responding. "For what? I kinda have no clue what you're talking about."

"You need to pack up a few things for a trip we're having."

He turned to face his mom with a questioning look. "I know it's rather sudden, but my old friend Drew called me earlier and said she had a problem that required my expertise. Her family's work takes them all around the world, so I thought this would be the perfect cultural experience for you since you start your summer vacation today."

Danny was immediately against it. "But Mom, I already have plans for today with Sam and Tuck."

She wagged her finger in response. "Now now Danny, you'll have plenty of chances for that when you get back. This could be a once in a life time opportunity. Besides, it'll be fun you'll see, they even have a son around your age." She then continued on into the kitchen with a large duffle bag ignoring any further protests from the boy.

Danny was now looking more dead as he slinked up to his room. "Geez…. And I thought I'd actually be able to have a short peace." He then pulled out his phone to call Sam, knowing full well this meant no movie marathon.

* * *

"So are you sure it wasn't a blue tiger that you saw?" Drew asked her college through the video feed.

"Positive." Dr. Cheechoo responded. "It was a large, solid blue cat and I'm pretty sure even the blue tiger can't walk through walls."

Doc gave a nod. "No it can't, but what can? It's not unheard of for cryptids to be capable of getting through things like tight mesh or small cracks, but phasing through a wall?"

Drew gave him nod of agreement. "Yes, but it may not be a Cryptid honey." She then walked over to side monitor.

"What else could it be?"

"It could be a ghost!" Zak shouted from out of nowhere. He was obviously excited as he ran over to his mom. "Right mom?"

"Maybe honey. It's the best guess I have right now."

Doc crossed his arms in vehement denial. "Ghosts again? Could we please stay in the realm of non-fiction? The last thing we need is another so called ghost encounter."

Drew gave a lite shake of her head to her husband's dismissal. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can't explain it, and there are no known cryptids with that ability. Now it just so happens that an old friend of mine is a parabiologist who specializes in the theory of ghosts. She and her husband are considered an authority on them."

Doc simply rolled his eyes. "Authority? Those two?" He questioned as their identities came up in his mind.

Drew gave him look of disapproval before turning back. "I'm calling her regardless of your skepticism. Besides, if this blue cat has anything to do with the unorthodox ecological migrations, we should look at it from every angle."

"I have to agree with Drew on this one. Strange as it may be, I think we can all agree we've seen stranger."

Doc gave a grumble before nodding. "Fine, but when this turns out to be something completely different, I hope both of you will let the concept of ghosts die for good."

"Of course." Drew responded in a fake appeasing tone. "Because everything we've seen has to have a scientific explanation."

"Yes it does." Doc responded, obviously not amused.

"Are you going to call them now?" Zak asked as he stood by the smaller video screen.

"Yes…. As soon as I remember … oh wait, here it is." She typed in a number and a loading bar appeared on the screen. Doc let out a dissatisfied huff as they waited prompting Drew to scold him. "At least try not to sound cranky before you meet them. You might surprise yourself; Maddie has a similar opinion on things that you do."

Doc let out a sarcastic laugh. "And they believe in ghosts, hilarious."

* * *

"Come on Danny, don't be such a grump." Maddie teased as she held the controls for the specter speeder. She and Danny had packed up what supplies they needed into the speeder because it was the only thing they had that could go where they were to meet the Saturdays considering they were over the ocean on their air ship. "It'll be fun, you'll see. We catch a ghost, see some interesting places, you'll meet Drew's family.." She turned to see the still unhappy expression of her son. "Danny." She called in a strict tone.

"I get it."

Maddie let out a sigh. "Is it so wrong to for me to want to spend time with you? I know our last mother/son excursion didn't exactly go as planned but-"

"A bit of an understatement don't you think?" Danny quipped as he crossed his arms. When he didn't hear an immediate response he turned to see a rather hurt expression on his mom's face. He instantly felt the agitation drain from him as he uncrossed his arms. "Sorry….. I know that wasn't your fault."

She then sighed. "Yes, you're a teenager and they value time with their friends, but that doesn't mean you need to be with them all the time."

Danny gave an apologetic nod. "Yeah, but I guess this wouldn't be so bad every once in a while. As long as we don't get forced from a plane at several thousand feet again." Danny compromised with slight exasperation. He then turned to face his mom with a lite smile. "So what's our ETA?"

Maddie turned towards the GPS screen. "Well, it should only be a few hours at our current pace."

Danny took a look at the screen to see their destination. "Wait….. we're going to Greenland?"

"Yup. Drew told me one of her colleges ran into some sort of creature there. She doesn't think it's a Cryptid and it can phase through solid objects so ghost sounds right to me."

Danny gave her a confused expression. "Cryptid?"

Maddie nodded. "Yes, they are the animal species unrecognized my normal science. Many of the animals known today started out as Cryptids you know. The Saturday's are Cryptozoologists. Finding and studying Cryptids is what they do where ever they may be."

Danny sat back in his chair to digest the information a bit. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, I'm half ghost.' Of course ghost hunting itself still sounded much crazier to him. "Well, now I know why you didn't want to bring Jazz."

Maddie gave him an understanding smile. "Well that and she is working on her college thesis. Your father is watching over an ongoing experiment. It's nothing dangerous, so I think we can safely assume the house will still be there when we get back." Both of them laughed knowing Jack all too well. It was a well-known fact around Amity Park that he could make anything explode.

* * *

Drew entered the hanger just as the bay doors began to open. "Alright boys, you know the drill." She commanded as Zack and Fisk backed up and out of the way. "And remember, she's our guest." Drew then turned to Komodo as he crawled into the room. "Right Komodo?" He gave a grumbled hiss in response as he took a seat. Once the doors were completely open the Specter Speeder slowly rose up into the hanger.

Fiskerton growl in excitement as he pointed to the speeder while facing Zak. He gave a nod and crossed his arms. "Yeah, but not that impressive." When they heard a small clatter from inside, all Saturdays turned their eyes to the ship as it seemed to rock slightly. Drew raised a brow as she closed the bay doors. Zak noticed quickly that no one was at the helm and then a flash made Fiskerton jump in surprise. "Calm down Fisk." Zak comforted as he warily made his way over to the Speeder. It rocked again only a little more violently.

"Be careful Zak." Drew warned as she too approached the Speeder. They were only a few steps away when the door flew open and a large pile of goo shot out. Both Saturdays dodged and turned to see the strange substance. "What in the world?" Drew wondered as she stepped over to it. Two feet from it and it rose up with a gurgled roar and glared down the scientist with its glowing red eyes.

"Whoa!" Zak shouted in partial excitement as he stepped back. He reached for the Claw in defense. "Okay I take it back, this is cool."

Drew, who had her sword ready, warned him away. "Hold on Zak, we don't know what it is."

He simply shrugged as he raised it up. "Since when does that stop us?"

Before Drew could make any scolding comment a green blast shot from the Speeder and landed dead center on the goo monster. It screeched in response just before it seemed to be swallowed into a small green vortex. They both turned to see both the source of the blast and the footsteps as they exited the Speeder. "Sorry about that. Jack sometimes forgets to check the Speeder when he rounds up ghosts that escape in the lab." Maddie Fenton, with her bazooka over her shoulder, stepped onto the hanger floor as she pulled her hood off.

"You're as good a shot as ever." Drew said teasingly as she lowered her sword. "Well, it's a whole lot better when not in a small moving vehicle." Maddie then lowered the Bazooka and set the barrel on the floor.

"Good to see you Maddie, how's Jack?"

She gave a loving roll of her eyes. "Still Jack. Even if I gave him a list, he'd probably just forget he had one."

"Drew, Cheechoo's back on the line!" Doc called from the stairs, calling the attention of both scientists.

"Oh right." She waved Maddie to follow. "Let's finish talking upstairs."

Zak, watched as they both left then turned to Fiskerton who had crouched down behind him. "Come on Fisk, its gone already." Fisk gave a whimper as he stood up. "How can you be afraid of ghosts if you've never seen one before now?" He simply crossed his arm and growled out his reply. "TV ghosts aren't real Fisk, and besides, if they were then Phantom would be and he's a superhero." Fisk raised a finger to his chin at the valid point. His train of thought was broken when he heard a clatter from the ship again. Both froze as they watched intently as a shadow formed in the entryway. When a gooey green hand found its way to the opening Zak jumped into action and shot the claw out at it. "I gotcha ghost!" Fiskerton jumped back as the form turned to them in surprise. It all happened in a flash as the goo covered hand caught the cable of the claw in midair and pulled Zak forward. Fiskerton yelped as he grabbed Zak by the waist in defense. "What the heck?"

As the heat of the moment died down all three parties seemed to realize the misunderstanding as the goo covered monster turned out to be a goo covered teenager. "That's what I want to say." Responded Danny as he scrutinized the strange claw like grappling hook he held firmly in his grip.

Fiskerton let out a sigh of relief as he let go of Zak but quickly regretted it when the boy fell forward to the ground. "Fisk!" The lemurian shrugged and gave out an apology as he smiled sheepishly.

Danny looked over the two of them a moment before letting go of the Claw and unwinding it from his wrist. His next act was to try and shake some of the goo he'd been covered in off. "Why'd it have to hide under my seat?" He grumbled as he tried to comb it out of his hair.

Zak stood up and reeled in his weapon as he apologized himself. "Sorry about that, we thought you were another ghost."

Danny seemed surprised for a fleeting moment before giving a shrug. "I guess that's bound to happen when you get slimmed by one…"

Zak quickly put his Claw away and walked over to a storage cabinet by the wall. "Be thankful its only slime."

Danny thought for a moment before shuttering at the thought. Zak came back over with a towel which Danny took happily. "Thanks."

Fiskerton growled in curiosity as he took up some of the goo on his finger. He turned to Zak in question as he pointed to it. "I wouldn't." He warned.

"Yeah, you don't want to eat it." Danny concurred as he wiped the goo from his hair. He took the towel down and turned to the Cryptid. "You don't know what that stuff will do…. Could make you glow in the dark…" Fisk seemed excited about the prospect before Danny finished. "..Or grow a third arm." He then threw the goo down in disgust and wiped his finger on the towel in Danny's hands.

"Good choice, though a third arm may come in handy." Zak said in agreement as he looked down at the strange substance and laughed. Fisk glared in insult of the poor pun. "Come on, I was just kidding." The Gorilla Cat didn't seem amused as he crossed his arms with a grumble.

Danny then took a look around. "Hmm… its bigger than I thought."

"What? The air ship? Of course!" Zak responded in pride.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, though I didn't get the best look considering the whole blob attack five minutes before docking." He held the towel around his neck before turning back to the boys. "Oh, by the way, I'm Danny." He said as he reached out a hand. "My mom dragged me along for a cultural experience…"

"Zak Saturday." The boy replied as he took it.

Fisk took it next and growled an introduction. "So, that's Fisk for short then?" The Lemurian nodded in response.

"We should go up and check out what's up with Dr. Cheechoo." Zak suggested as he started towards the stairs. Fiskerton followed close behind and waved Danny to do the same.

* * *

"So you see that's my problem. So far, we've only been able to understand is that it's dangerous to speak any other language around there." He then held up a crood drawing of a blue cat. "I also saw one of the children in Nanortalik drawing this, but when I asked about it, her parents demanded we leave immediately."

Drew gave a nod of her head in understanding. "It must be some sort of superstition, the Inuit are known for being highly cautious of bad luck."

Doc pulled up the navigation on the computer. "Just stay put until we arrive. I'm sure once we get over this language issue, this will make more sense."

"Sure thing, I appreciate the help." The scientist responded as he ended the communication.

"What's wrong?" Zak inquired as he entered the room.

"The locals of Pingano, a hunting village on the outskirts of the Nanortalik forest, only seem to speak Esperanto." Drew responded with a raised brow as she scanned over the consol. "None of the researchers on Paul's team know how to speak it, but why do they speak this language at all?" Zak approached the console behind her with Fiskerton and Danny looking quite curious himself. "Esperanto is an artificial language less than 200 years old. It just doesn't make sense for a tribe centuries old to have that as their native language."

Maddie looked over her shoulder curiously. "But what does that one line mean? The one Dr. Cheechoo kept getting when he asked questions."

"La gardistoj aŭdos; it means 'The Guardians will hear'."

"So they don't talk to him because they're scared someone… or something will hear them?" Danny asked in a genuinely curious tone. Maddie finally noticed him and was about to speak when he stopped her. "The power cells are set and charging."

Maddie was pleased to hear it as she asked a new question. "Did anything get damaged?"

"Not that I could find though half the inside is now covered in ecto-goo. I opened the vent."

"Well that's a relief. Goodness knows what would have happened if you didn't stand up right before it attacked huh?" She said with a relieved expression. She then suddenly remembered the Saturdays and immediately took a spot beside Danny. "Oh, I'm sorry Drew. I completely forgot with all the excitement." She placed one hand on Danny's shoulder. "This is my son Danny. Danny this is Drew and her husband Solomon Saturday."

Danny waved modestly. "Hi….uh, I like your airship."

"Hey Danny look out!" Zak shouted as he pointed towards Komodo, who was charging the teen.

Danny flailed back as Komodo jumped and knocked him to the floor. "What the heck!?" After hissing into the boy's face the reptile seemed shocked by something and desperately crawled back and away from the boy. Danny sat up with confusion on his face. "Is that…. Normal?"

Zak wore a sheepish expression. "Yeah, he does that sometimes to people he doesn't know."

Drew gave the dragon a stern look causing Komodo to droop his head in shame. "What did I tell you before? They are our guests." Fiskerton waved his finger in reprimand, mimicking Drew in her scolding. Komodo hissed in response as he turned to crawl away.

Danny stood back up easily and brushed himself off. "Well that's 2 for 2 in being attack today." Danny seemed only slightly agitated by the whole thing which struck a curious note with Maddie. She quickly shrugged it off to experience since Amity Park has had its share of strange creature attacks.

"Well, now that we have introductions out of the way, we should get ready for when we land. It shouldn't take more than half an hour to reach Nanortalik." Doc then turned to enter a door on the far wall.

Drew continued looking through the database she brought up. "I hope you brought some winter wear. It may be summer, but it'll still be cold."

* * *

 **So that's the first chapter. Hope it was enjoyable. This fic will be updated on Saturdays unless other circumstances prevent me from doing so. I have several chapters already written, but a weekly schedule would be best so that I can keep up with my other fics. I started this one months ago and is usually the one I work on when I can't seem to get the others going.**

 **Feel free to comment on what you liked, hated or were confused about. Certain things will be explained later so if you ask I may not be able to answer you without spoiling something.=^-^=**


	2. Chapter 2 - Whiteout

**So its time for chapter 2 as promised. Please keep in mind that this will have a serious story plot and is not just all humor. (There will be that though) I will be doing Fiskerton's speech in () and any other language other than English will be italicized. Please enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 2 - Whiteout**

* * *

"Wow… talk about rural. I think there are more houses around Vlad's old mansion then in this town." Danny commented as he leaned over the rails of the observation deck. He now wore a thick winter coat, dark blue cargo pants and snow boots. His mom, who was talking to Drew, was also wearing winter clothing only hers was one large suit much like her jumpsuit with a winter jacket over it of a slightly darker shade. Even in winter wear, though, Maddie still hand plenty of storage in her suit.

Zak approached from his left wearing snow gear, and leaned over next to him. "If you think this is small, you haven't seen anything. The hunting village, pingano, is around ten times smaller."

Danny let out a relieved sigh. "I'm going to take this moment and be thankful that I live in a city and not here."

Zak laughed in response and Danny joined in. "So you live in a city right? I guess you don't get to see a lot of places."

Danny shrugged. "Well no, I guess not, but you'd be surprised at what you can see in Amity Park."

"So it's not boring?" The younger boy asked as he turned to Danny.

The teen choked a laugh in response. "If only." His face then seemed to show slight agitation. "I can't even get a decent night's sleep without my….." Catching himself, he continued. "I mean, with all the ghosts, boring is never the word. Unless you're in Lancer's class." He added in at the end with a lite laugh. He then raised his arm and propped up his chin. "So what about you? Considering what your parents do, I can only assume you're home schooled."

"Something like that…" The preteen responded as he scratched the side of his face.

"Alright boys, stay close to the ship and try not to cause the people here any problems." Fiskerton, who was standing just behind Zak, gestured to himself in a surprised manor. "Yes Fiskerton, you too." Drew was stern and commanding as she crossed her arms. "Do you understand Zak?"

"But mom-"

Drew shook her finger. "No Zak, and you know why." Her hint didn't fall on deaf ears as Zak, though disheartened, nodded solemnly. Drew then came over and pat him on the back. "We'll only be gone for a few hours and I'm sure the three of you can figure something out. Besides, someone has to be here when Doyle shows up."

Zak's expression instantly brightened. "Doyle's coming?"

Drew nodded as she turned towards the door. "Uh-huh, I figured we could use the help in case something happens." She then pulled up her hood and joined Doc and, Maddie at the door.

Maddie who was the last one through the door, waved back to Danny. "Bye Danny, be careful." Danny waved back as he continued the lean halfway against the rail.

Zak then slouched against the same rail with a grumble. "Man, it's like I can't do anything anymore." Fiskerton kneeled down a bit and pat him on the shoulder with a comforting growl. "It's just not fair!"

"If it makes you feel any better, they left me behind too." Danny said in a lack luster tone. Truth be told, he'd still rather be home with his friends despite the fact of the Airship being one of the coolest things he's ever seen.

Zak jabbed his hands into his pockets and trudged over to the door. "Yeah, but you're a city kid. I've done lots of things like exploring ruins, stopping out of control cryptids and getting into fire fights with bad guys."

Danny was a bit insulted by the insinuation as he crossed his arms. "And so I couldn't possibly handle whatever they are going to be doing?"

Zak turned to him with an understanding expression. "I'm just saying I have way more experience in this sort of thing." He seemed a bit cocky as he explained. "I mean I've grown up doing this sort of thing."

Danny glared at him but stopped before he responded. Getting into a boasting match with some kid he just met would be a really stupid idea, and Jazz would just eat it up if she ever found out. "Fine, whatever." Danny then passed Zak and opened the door to the ship.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go look around. They never said we had to stay in the ship." With that the teen left the two Saturday's behind.

* * *

After about an hour Danny found himself sitting on an old stone bench in the outskirts of town. The seat looked to have been just the result of piled stone, but it now served as a sturdy place to sit for the teen. He had some sort of cake like bread in his lap, which he procured with a small game of charades before finding someone who spoke Esperanto to help him, and was tinkering with a translucent ball.

It shined like crystal when the light hit it and the pattern inside seemed to be that of a large intricate snowflake. Being around the size of a baseball, Danny was easily able to toss it between his hands as he thought over it. "Why is this thing so fricken hard?" He turned it around a few more times as if looking for something out of place before noticing one of the snowflake points was slightly different. He pressed down on that spot and the object seemed to morph so that the snowflake was on the outside and the ball was on the inside. "There we go." He spent another 20 minutes tinkering with the outside before he'd instigated another transformation and it once again was a ball with a snowflake inside. "I can't even tell if it's getting smaller anymore…." He grumbled as he looked it over again. Though, it had been originally the size of a standard crystal ball, according to Thuban, it was supposed to be around the size of a walnut when the puzzle is solved.

"Hey Danny!" He looked up and saw Zak and Fiskerton heading his way.

He welcomed the distraction since he'd spent so much time with the puzzle and so he stashed it in one of his pants pockets and waved back. "Hey Zak." The boy stopped in front of him and Fisk took note of the food as he leaned down. He gave a growl of query as he pointed at the bread. "What this? I'm pretty sure it's some kind of berry bread. It was the only thing I saw that wasn't raw or unidentifiable." He then held up a piece for the Lemurian. "Want some?" After giving it a moment's thought, Fisk welcomed the treat and scarfed it down in seconds. He gave a short purr of satisfaction as he turned to Zak. (Its good.)

Zak took some as well and gave Danny a somewhat impressed smirk. "I'm surprised you were able to get anything from the market here. I couldn't find anyone who spoke English."

Danny sat up and dusted off any crumbs he had on his lap. "Well despite being a city kid, I think I'm pretty good at charades." He then stuffed his hands into his pockets and started back towards the Airship.

Zak quickly caught up with him. "I'm sorry about earlier alright, I was just mad about being left behind."

Danny simply shrugged. "Yeah, I figured. I probably would've been mad too. I just want this whole thing to hurry up and be over so I can get back to my summer vacation." He then looked up and saw the winter clouds rolling in. "I mean, the summer isn't supposed to be like this."

Zak slowed a bit as he took notice as well. "I don't think it's supposed be like that here either."

Danny stopped and turned to him. "What do you mean? Isn't Greenland supposed to be all ice and snow?"

Zak shook his head. "Well it is most of the time, but according to Dr. Cheechoo this weather is more like late winter; almost like spring just didn't come at all."

Danny raised a brow. "You mean the scientist our parents were talking too?" Zak nodded as both boys continued on their way back to the ship. "Yeah. He and his team study weird geographical phenomenon, but weather seems to be causing them problems. This place has been experiencing its longest winter ever, even after those Amaroks tried to freeze the planet." He paused when he saw the confusion on Danny's face. "Uh… they were cranky wolf cryptids that made it snow really bad….. anyway, mom and dad told me the weather has been affecting cryptid migration patterns as far south as the Southern States of America."

Danny stopped to think for a moment. "Well…. I guess I may have heard something about weird weather on the news but it hasn't hit anywhere near Amity Park. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure my friend Sam was talking about it and how it's a sign of people corrupting the planet or something."

"My mom said something about that too…" He trailed off as the wind began to whip up and a low whistle could be heard.

Danny instantly started to sprint towards the airship. "Let's hurry up." He lifted one arm over his face. "Something tells me we don't have much longer before the wind makes walking hard."

Zak and Fisk agreed without a fuss knowing all too well that getting caught in a storm was not fun. Their prior experience with the Amarok taught them not to underestimate winter storms at all. As they made their way through the small town, they noticed many of the people doing the same and preparing their homes for the coming storm. By the time they reached the airship, the wind was howling loud and clear as they dashed into the shelter one by one. Zak and Fisk were both shaking as they rubbed their arms. "Man….. That came on super-fast!" Fisk growled in agreement as he shook off the snow that clung to his fur.

Danny pulled down his hood and began knocking the snow off his own clothes. "I hope our parents didn't get caught in that."

Fiskerton then noticed a flashing light on the vid screen and upon pushing it, Doc's face appeared. "Zak! Answer!... oh." He seemed relieved once he realized his call went through. "Good, I was worried you boys were outside in this."

"Don't worry dad, we saw the storm coming and just got inside."

Drew suddenly came into view. "Is Doyle there yet?"

Zak and Fisk took a look around. "I don't think so. It doesn't look like anyone else came in while we were gone."

This got Drew worrying more as she traded a glace with her husband. " His last ETA was 15 minutes ago.

"That means…" Zak started as his eyes widened.

"Doyle's resourceful, I'm sure he can find his way even with the storm." Doc said in comfort. His expression then became serious as he addressed Zak. "None of you are to leave the airship until the storm ends. We'll be heading back as soon as we can." Fiskerton gave a salute as he stood up straight as a flag pole. Doc then moved his gaze to Danny in the background. "Danny, I'd appreciate it if you'd try and keep Zak from doing anything crazy. We don't need more people getting caught up in this storm."

Danny gave a serious nod. "No problem Mr. Saturday." The screen started to get fuzzy as Danny said that.

"Loo- the storm –rse. We'll hav- alk." He then ended the call and Zak rushed over to the pilot's chair.

Danny rushed over after him along with Fisk. "I really hope you're not going to do what your dad just told you not to do."

Zak kept at the controls as he brought the radar screen down to view. "I have to at least try to find him; he's family."

Danny looking angry yet understanding as he tried to reason with him. "And do you really think you'll do him any favors by getting lost out there?"

Zak's expression brightened as a blip appeared on the radar. "That has to be him, it's too small to be a ship." He then jumped out of the chair and dashed over to the door. "It's not even that far away."

Danny cut him off at the door, which caught Zak by surprise. "No Zak, your dad told me to stop you from doing something crazy and this is definitely crazy."

Zak's expression then became slightly mischievous. "Actually, he said to try and stop me." In a flash Zak whipped out his claw and slung it around Danny's legs. With a simple pull, the teen hit the ground and Zak, pulling his claw loose, dashed through the door.

Danny rubbed his head a bit as he slowly stood up. "I'm really starting hate this kid." He gave a stern glare to Fisk. "You're staying put alright?" The Lemurian was rather quick to nod under the halfa's gaze. Danny then went through the door himself after putting his hood back up.

* * *

Outside Zak was already struggling against the snow as he pushed forward. He had both hands over his face to block out the snow as he looked around at the stark white around him. "Doyle!" Unable to see much around him but snow, he didn't notice the low ledge he was about the walk off and fell unceremoniously on his face. He scrambled back to his feet and began to wrap his arms around himself. "Its… freezing…." His determination wouldn't let him quite, however, and he pushed forward.

With the wind being so loud, he didn't hear the steps of Danny's approach and was more than a bit surprised to feel a tug on his jacket. "Gotcha!" He turned as quickly as he could with the storm, and recognized Danny just in time to be thrown over his shoulder. "Now I know why Sam hates babysitting so much."

Zak squirmed in the teen's grip. "Hey! Put me down! I have to find Doyle."

"The only thing you're going to find out here is how fast a kid can freeze, now shut up." Zak's struggling tempered down as Danny pushed back towards the ship, and Danny could feel him shivering. By the time they made it back to the ship, Zak was starting to get sleepy and Danny knew that wasn't a good sign. "Uh-oh…." He got him into the ship as soon as he could where Fisk immediately panicked at the boy's state. "Uh…. Uh… what do…-" As he scrambled his thoughts together he remembered one of the snow survival lessons he'd learn from Permafrost back in the FarFrozen. "Let's see, gotta get him warm…." He took off Zak's jacket and waved Fiskerton over. "Alright, I need you to hug him." Fisk seemed confused but on Danny's insistence, he complied. "Good, just stay like that until I get back." Upon seeing Danny dash back for the door Fiskerton cried out in protest. "Don't worry, I'm definitely not going to freeze to death." He then closed the door behind himself.

As he looked over the stark white surrounding the ship he started to shiver himself. "I better Go Ghost, I don't think I could take much more of this as a human." He held his arms out and allowed a set of bright rings to overtake him. Phantom was now in place of Fenton as he jumped into the air. After a slightly rocky start from the wind, he got his balance and took off. He held tight to a piece of the ghost fisher line, which he had tied to the airship rail, and used it as a way to get himself back. "This is probably the only time I've been grateful for dad making this stuff so long." He used his intangibility to break through the wind and make his way over to Doyle's last position marked by the ship's radar.

He hadn't been flying for long before he noticed something fall from the corner of his vision. He instantly homed in on it and was able to catch whatever it was before it hit the ground. Danny quickly realized that it was a person and was more than a bit startled when a fire started just under his left arm. The fire melted the snow to reveal the jetpak Zak said Doyle was wearing and Danny turned and made a bee line for the airship. "Man, this guy is pretty good to still be in the air with all of this snow and wind." But the jetpack could only do so much before nature over took it.

Danny heard a grunt as he flew and was a little worried about what he would say. "What….." Doyle turned his head and seemed to squint in an attempt to get a good look at his savior. "Who… Drew?... No.." He focused a bit more and seemed to home in on the halfa's chest before passing out again.

Danny landed them at the base of the Airship's ramp and changed back as to thwart any unwanted questions. This unfortunately made things much harder as Danny wasn't as strong and couldn't hold up the man's weight. "Uhg… Darn it. I wish this guy would just wake up!" He slipped on the ramp and Doyle fell along with him. Though Danny was silently cursing his luck, the grumble of consciousness he heard from Doyle was able to draw his attention away from it. "Hey!? You awake? If your awake, you gotta help me, cause you're way too heavy to drag into the ship like this."

* * *

Back inside the ship, Zak wore a very sour expression as he sat in Fiskerton's arms. "Can you please let me go now?" He was fully awake and agitated as he struggled out of the Lemurian's grip. (Uh-uh.) He replied as he held tighter. "I know Danny told you to keep me warm, but seriously, I'm fine." Fisk growled in response about being told to stay this way until Danny came back which caused Zak to sigh in exasperation. "And you'd listen to him over me!?" Fisk paused for a moment and scratched at his head with his foot. He then shrugged and held his grip strong as Zak started struggling more. Their argument was interrupted by the rush of cold wind as a snow covered Danny and Doyle came into the ship. Fisk released his grip as he stood and Zak sprung to his feet to freedom. "Doyle!"

The ex-mercenary, who Danny was helping to walk, gave Zak a weak grin. "Hey mini-man." He fell on his knees after Danny let him go in favor of closing the door. "Oh man….."

"You okay Doyle?"

The man seemed to be breathing rather hard has he held himself up with one arm. "Yeah, I think I'm good now."

"Hey Zak, where's the first aid kit? It has to have some heating pack or something in it right?" Zak nodded and dashed over to a storage shelf. He returned with a stack of heating pads which they covered Doyle in once he got his jetpack and winter jacket off.

As the warmers did their thing, Doyle let out a breath of relief. "Man, thought I was a gonner. That storm came out of nowhere."

"Tell me about it. It went from a breeze to pelting us with snow in less than 5 minutes." Zak responded in agreement. "Mom and dad are still out at Pingano village with Dr. Cheechoo and his team." Zak then paused a moment in thought. "Hey, where's Zon?"

Doyle waved it off. "No worries mini-man, I left her with an associate of mine along with Van Rook. I figured since it was cold weather we were dealing with, bringing a flying reptile wouldn't be all that smart, and Rook wanted me to pay him double."

Zak then took a side glance towards Komodo who was sitting curled up in a corner. "Yeah, I guess. Komodo's been a bit cranky since we landed."

Doyle then turned towards Danny. "By the way, I guess I should know the name of the guy who saved my bu-" He stopped short when he noticed Danny sitting against the back wall and sleeping. "Oh….."

Zak turned and saw the sleeping halfa as he sleepily scratched at his chest. "Wow… that was fast."

"Ah, let him sleep. He did just brave a snow storm to help me out, and I was out until we got to the ship." He then let out a laugh. "You wanna hear something weird though? I don't remember landing in the storm. The closest thing I can remember was this crazy dream I had where I was being saved by Phantom." He then laughed again at the crazy concept.

Zak raised a brow with a grin on his face. "Been watching a lot of TV have you?"

Doyle shrugged. "It's good TV."

Zak then turned over the video phone. "Oh right, we should let mom know you're…" He trailed off when Fiskerton gave him the 'no way' sign. He then pointed to the signal icon at the bottom. "Oh…. Right, the storm must be messing up the signal." He scratched the back of his head. "I guess we'll just have to wait until mom and dad, and Mrs. Fenton get back."

"Who?" Doyle asked in curiosity.

"Mrs. Fenton? Yeah, she's his mom." He started as he pointed in Danny's direction. "She's a ghost expert that's old friends with mom, and brought Danny along for the ride."

Doyle gave a nod in understanding before responding. "So why did they leave you guys here? Aren't the Secret Scientists still on the hunt?"

Zak's expression became melancholy as he nodded. "Well yeah, but Dr. Cheechoo doesn't feel the same way. He agreed to keep our location a secret from the others so we could help him and his team out."

"I knew there was something about him I liked." Doyle said with a confident and pleased expression. "Anyway, with the way things are looking outside now, we don't have much of a choice but to wait."

* * *

 **So there's chapter 2. Yes Danny and Zak are butting heads, and its going to continue for a little bit longer. Everyone usually makes them instant friends, but I'm going to make them work at it. The best friendships are forged with great labors you know?**

 **Anyway, feel free to ask questions and leave comments in a review. I love to read them!=^-^=**


	3. Chapter 3 - Skepticism

**So here's chapter 3 and things start to get interesting... ish. Some original back story and such information for which I need for the plot. A better explanation will be given at the bottom for those who may be confused by it. Hope you enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 3 - To Question a Belief?**

* * *

Several hours later, the storm did indeed taper out and cleared the sky almost unnaturally. The full moon glowed brightly over the still night as the small party of humans made their way towards the still lit up airship. "Well, it doesn't look like anything crazy happened while we were gone." Doc said rather enthusiastically as he took the first step onto the ramp.

Drew kept a serious expression while she followed him up. "The key word here is 'looks', now hurry up." She was more than a bit worried still for Doyle since they had yet to get back in touch with Zak after the storm; for whatever reason, their communications were still jammed.

"They're fine." Maddie started. "I'm sure they were able to hold out inside during the storm."

Upon opening the door, the Drew instantly recognized the voice from inside. "And then you know what the guy did? He just dropped me right out of the plane, but Jurassic had-"

"Doyle? Oh thank heavens." Drew spoke with relief. She quickly made her way over to her brother who was standing by the helm by Zak with a hot cup of coffee in his hand.

"Hey, what took you so long?"

Her relief turned to amused agitation as she crossed her arms. "What took me? You're the one who got here late, and worried me half to death."

He gave a nod and shrugged in resignation. "Yeah, I still can't believe how fast that storm came up though. If the kid hadn't found me I would probably be a Popsicle by now."

Doc turned an angry eye to Zak. "Tell me you didn't run out in that storm when I told you not to!"

Drew joined him, but with slightly less anger. "Even if it was to save Doyle, that was incredibly reckless."

Zak stuttered to correct them since he had actually run out into the storm as Doyle realized the confusion. "Wait a minute, hold on." He directed as he pulled back their attention. "It wasn't Zak, it was the other kid who helped me out." He informed as he pointed over to the still sleeping teen. He'd had a blanket put over him as he dozed against the wall.

Maddie, who had already started to head over to him, was more than surprised to hear the news. "He did what?" She turned to him in disbelief.

Doyle took a sip of his coffee before nodding. "Yeah-" He started before being interrupted by a frantic beeping coming from a bag on the ghost hunter's leg.

Just behind her, Danny started to shiver under the blanket that covered him. She raised a brow and pulled a small device from her pocket. Her face turned serious as she began pressing buttons on the side of the device. "Looks like we've got company."

"Company?" Doc questioned with a skeptical look. "So we find nothing at the village, but we do find something on the airship?"

He rolled his eyes in disbelief before Drew nudged him in the side. "Can you save your criticism for later? We should find out where the ghost is." She scolded as she pulled out a small metal pole instead of her fire sword.

"It's on its way here." Maddie said in a serious tone as she pulled up her hood and charged up her blaster.

"Actually….. I think it's already here." Zak noted as he pointed towards the sleeping halfa. He had his claw out and ready as the others spotted the strange specter. It had the appearance of a large blue cat with a slightly lighter shade of blue for its under belly and piercing green eyes.

As soon as Maddie saw it she was outraged by what it was doing as she pointed her blaster at it. "Back away from my son ghost!"

The ghost, who seemed very interested in the boy, turned its gaze to the hunter. " _This cannot continue. Must you be so blinded by nonsense that you are unable to truly see the truth as it is before you now?"_ It's speech was strange, as if it had been rearranged and the sounds had been distorted. It then turned back to the boy which only made Maddie's glare sharpen. " _Of course though… you can no more understand me than any other human."_

The ghost hunter aimed carefully and fired with her brilliant shot hitting dead center on the ghost. Right upon impact, Danny's eyes seemed to flutter open slightly and he was able to see the ghost as it aparated in the blast. "Whoa!" He yelped in slight panic as he left his cozy position and slid farther to the floor.

Maddie instantly dashed for him in worry. "Danny! Are you okay? That ghost didn't hurt you did it?" She worried as she helped him sit up.

"What the heck was that?" He asked in bewilderment.

"I bet that was the Blue Cat Dr. Cheechoo saw." Drew stated with confidence.

Zak looked excited as he turned to her. "Then it really is a ghost?"

Doc rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I don't see any evidence of it being a ghost."

Doyle was amused by the man's defiance as he finally finished his coffee. "So what else do you know can disappear like that?"

Doc raised a brow to the challenge. "There are plenty of Cryptids with the ability to disappear. Take Komodo for example."

Doyle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because camouflage and turning to smoke is definitely the same thing."

"Ghosts have been known to do both." Maddie chimed into the conversation. "They have the unique ability to change their structural density at will and also change how light is refracted on them on a molecular level. These capabilities stem from Ectoplasm, which composes 90% of their makeup." Though intrigued by the more scientific explanation she gave for the ghost's abilities, his opinion was obviously still against them.

Doyle gave a nod as he turned to the scientist. "Was that bad science?"

Drew then leaned on his arm lovingly. "Face it Doc, some things just can't be explained by common science. Then there are the stranger things that somehow can."

Maddie gave a nod. "While I do have to agree with Drew, I firmly believe all things can be explained scientifically, it'll all depends on just how far we push it." She then continued on the device she uses to detect ghosts and headed over to video phone in the hanger. "Anyway, I'm going to send this back to Jack and see if he can get a more specific reading on this ectosignature. My handheld doesn't seem to have enough processing power to read it completely."

Upon hearing that, Fiskerton immediately tried to warn her about the signal issues but she didn't seem impeded. "Sorry Mrs. Fenton, but the phone isn't working. It hasn't worked since the storm hit." Zak tried to point out in assistance to Fiskerton.

Maddie simply waved it off. "Don't you worry about that, a little spectral interference won't stop me." She then pulled a small device from another pocket that seemed to resemble a flash drive. After plugging it into the side to the screen it only took a few seconds for the signal strength to boost back to normal much to the Lemurian's surprise as he eyed the icon happily from the side.

"Spectral interference?" Doyle asked.

She gave a nod in response. "Yup, it's a common side effect ghosts can have on electronic signals. Of course, the level of interference tends to depend on the ghost. We had to install these all over the house after one of them infected the ops center and subsequently moved the entire house lakeside."

"Yeah, but who says no to beach front property in the summer?" Danny added in as he walked over to his mom. "Anyway, what time is it in Amity Park? I mean it's almost midnight."

Maddie understood his confusion. "Yes, but they are 4 hours behind us. It's only around 8 there." As soon as the line began to ring the signal turned busy much to Maddie's surprise. "The lab phone is busy? That's odd, who could Jack be talking to down there?" She then typed down a few more buttons and the screen popped up. A yell of surprise erupted from the speaker as a startled teen fell back from the monitor frame.

"Tucker?" Danny questioned as his young friend recognized him through the screen.

"Danny? What are you doing on the TV?"

Danny immediately turned to his mom. "Why does the video phone connect to the TV?"

"For when the one in the lab becomes ...unusable…." She said as she seemed to think over a past event with distaste.

Danny's curiosity failed to motivate him further as he turned back to Tucker. "Anyway, what are you doing at my house? I thought you and Sam were still going to do that movie marathon."

"Well we were…" He started as he pulled out his PDA. "But that was before the rolling blackouts started. There are only a handful of buildings in the whole city with power now, and your house is one of them, so we thought we'd just watch movies here."

"Tucker…. Please don't tell me you've finally crossed the line and now talk to electronics…" A female voice asked in an uneasy tone from off the screen.

Tucker was obviously insulted by the jab and crossed his arms. "There's nothing wrong with an admiration for technology. Anyway, I'm actually talking to Danny for your information."

A young woman with orange hair entered the video frame. "Hey mom… why is there a video phone connected to the TV?"

Maddie let out a sigh. "Never mind that Jazz, where's your father?"

She raised a finger to her chin in thought. "Well,… I'm pretty sure he's still trying to get the remote back."

Tucker gave a nod. "Yeah one of those slimy ghosts from the other day ate it." As he continued to scroll down on his PDA, he was interrupted by a sickening smack as the missing remote smacked him in the face. The green goo that currently coated it seemed to act as an adhesive as it held to his skin. "Ah man!"

"Sorry Tuck." Sam apologized as she came into the picture. "I was trying to get it out of my hand…."

Tucker pulled it off of his face a bit but it didn't seem to want to let go. "The only thing worse than slimy, is sticky and slimy." Jazz couldn't help but laugh at the scene of Sam trying to pull the remote free while Tucker just tried not to get pulled with it.

"No worries kids, I've got the ecto-foamer." Jack dashed into view with an aerosol can and shook it before spraying it in the direction of the spectacled teen.

"Hey dad, mom wants to talk to you." Jazz called from beside the TV.

The over eager scientist turned happily towards the screen. "Hey Maddie! How's… where did you say you were going again?"

"We're in Greenland dear. Why is the lab phone busy?"

He seemed confused as he scratched his head. "Busy?... it shouldn't be…." He then gave a shrug. "Ah well, I'll look at it later, anyway did you need something?"

Maddie gave a nod. "Actually yes. I'm sending some spectral readings down to the lab terminal. Can you run them through for me? My hand held doesn't seem to be enough."

He happily agreed as he jumped over to the kitchen. "I'm on it!"

After the three teens watched the large man dash away they all redirected their attention to the video screen. "Dude, you got dragged all the way to Greenland?" Tucker asked with a laugh.

Danny wasn't amused as he half glared at his friend. He gave a side glance to his mom who was wrapped up in her handheld again and then back to them. "It's a wonderful cultural experience." He remarked with sarcastic emphasis.

"I'm sure if you gave it a chance…" She trailed off as she saw the dry expression on her brother's face.

He raised a brow in agitation. "So what about that thesis of yours that you were too busy with for anything else, and you just had to finish a year in advance?" Jazz crossed her arms. "Just because you're not smart enough to come up with a quick excuse, doesn't mean you can be mad at me. There was no way I was having mom drag me off on some crazy trip, especially with what happened in Colorado."

"As much as it pains me to agree with Jazz, she's right. It's up to you to deal with it for now." Sam commented from the couch towards the bickering siblings.

"Dude…. What is that?" Tucker asked as he pointed to the screen.

Danny raised a brow before noticing Fiskerton standing at his left where his mom used to be. "Oh him?"

"That's Fiskerton." Zak interrupted as he found his way into the frame on the other side of Danny. "He's a 9 foot gorilla cat."

Danny looked back to his friends and pointed at the kid. "What he said." Tucker looked on in mild fascination as he gave a nod in understanding.

Sam rolled her eyes and continued the conversation. "So why exactly are you in Greenland? No offense, but that's not exactly ghost central."

"It's barely even populated. Talk about dull." Sam gave a side glare to Tuck before turning back for the halfa's response.

"Well, my mom's friend, his mom, was asked to look into some weird creature sighting. She called my mom when they couldn't figure out what it was, and thought it might be a ghost. A few hours and a ridiculous snow storm later, it turns out she was right."

"Long story short, you're in it for the long haul." Tucker teased as he sat back comfortably on the couch.

Sam grabbed his hand and shoved it in his mouth while giving the geek a glare. "Would you knock it off." She then turned back to Danny. "All things considered, you have to admit, it could be worse. I mean, at least Vlad isn't the one causing your problem."

Jazz laughed a bit. "True, he's just trying to keep the angry mob from busting into city hall."

Tucker pulled the hat out of his mouth with distaste. "Well that's what happens when you don't tell anyone before the blackouts start. Seriously, if you go to California, they have this down to a science." He then neatly placed it back on his head as it was. "So who's up for some Dead Teacher 4 uncut!?" He asked rhetorically as he pulled the box out of his bag. "Cause I'm not planning to sleep until the sun rises!"

Jazz understood his insinuation and turned back to Danny. "I think Tucker wants the TV back."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well whatever."

It was an expected response, so Jazz simply gave a nod. "I'll do my best to make sure Dad doesn't destroy the house, and cleans the lab, so you just be careful alright little brother?"

"If you add 'not burning down the kitchen' to that list then you've got a deal." Danny responded teasingly.

Jazz acting mildly insulted gave a fake laugh. "Very funny Danny, but I'm being serious."

Danny raised a brow. "So am I. You do remember what happened that time you tried to make pancakes right? Or fried eggs? Or how about when you-"

"Okay I get it!" She almost yelled in an irritated tone. "I'm trying to be nice here and you just have to-"

"Alright! Movie time!" They both heard Tucker shout from behind before the call was abruptly ended.

Danny wore a pleased expression as he chuckled to himself. "Ah, nothing more stress relieving than messing with Jazz."

"So that was your older sister?" Zak asked from beside him.

"Yeah." He responded as he turned to face him. "Be happy you don't have one; They can be a real pain."

The two boys heard a laugh from behind. "Don't I know it?" Doyle said with a grin. "But, they tend to be pretty good about helping you out when you need it."

Danny gave a shrug. "True, but that depends on what kind of help you're looking for."

"Touché'." Doyle agreed.

"Well speaking of older sisters, yours needs to get her son off to bed." Drew started as she approached the four boys.

Zak was quick to give complaint with a sour expression. "But Mom! We're on a super important mission aren't we? Does my bedtime come before that?"

Drew raised a brow. "Okay 1, you were supposed to be in bed at 9:45 so I think you've stayed up long enough, and 2, this emergency situation can wait until morning when Maddie gets her results back." She responded with a slightly scolding tone. "Now I'd get going, and you better be asleep when I come check on you." Zak gave a groan as he walked ever so slowly towards the hall door with Fiskerton following behind covering a giggle.

Doyle then turned to Danny. "What about you? Or did your nap cover it?" He had a slightly teasing jab in his tone but Danny didn't seem to care.

"Nah, I'm good. My curfew only means I have to be inside by 10." He then turned and headed back down to the hanger. "Or make them think I'm inside…" He commented to himself as he left earshot.

* * *

The sky was clear as Danny flew high above the airship. "This is probably the most relaxed I've been since this whole mess started." He mused to himself as he twisted and flew on his back. "And the cold air is nice when it's not pelting me with snow." He gazed up at the moon which appeared to be almost full and hummed quietly to himself. After a few minutes he found himself unconsciously scratching at his chest. "Hmm?" He stopped and floated in a somewhat sitting position. "Why does this itch so much?" He sighed as he continued to scratch it. "Stupid ghost rash….."

As he thought over his frustrations he suddenly got the strangest feeling that he was being watched. He gazed warily around himself before waving the thought away. "I guess I'm just tired…." He hadn't been having the best sleep in recent days with ghosts, finals, and now this trip; he'd be lucky to sleep good tonight either. He turned over and slowly flew down towards the airship. He was just about to phase through the top when the familiar whine of an ecto-blaster froze him cold.

"You have 5 seconds to explain what you're doing here Phantom." He heard from his right. It was Maddie Fenton, but her demanding shout was absent and in its place a calm order. "You're not following me are you?"

Danny turned his head slightly as slowly as possible and raised his hands passively. "No, but I can't really explain why I'm here either…." A short silence ensued, which caused Danny to grow more confused by the minute. Eventually he decided to ask the question that was burning in his mind. "Alright, I know I really might regret this but…. Why aren't you shooting at me?" He asked as he slowly lowered his hands.

Maddie's expression remained determined as she responded. "Should I? Are you going to give me a reason to?"

Now Danny was even more baffled as he cocked his head to the side. "Uh….. I didn't know I had to...?"

Maddie was the one to raise a brow now as her determination seemed to wane. "Well no….. being out of the Ghost Zone should be reason enough, but…." She trailed off as she lowered the blaster. "That is the only thing I can think of that you've done wrong, at least recently." She now seemed more confused by her own actions than by the ghost. "You see my daughter Jasmine, she recently made me aware of how single minded me and my husband were about some ghosts. In the end the conversation became about you and she asked us for a reason…. But when we thought about it…. We couldn't think of anything."

Danny seemed surprised by the revelation. "So… you're not going to shoot at me anymore?"

Maddie then turned to him with her blaster raised. "Do not misunderstand me Phantom! If you give me a reason I will!" She then lowered it again but kept her stern tone. "Jack and I had assumed that any ghost coming out of the Ghost Zone had evil intentions, that it was up to us to get rid of them, but you're different." Her expression turned frustrated as she crossed her arms with the blaster still in hand. "You are by far the strangest ghost I have ever seen. You can't be tracked by your ecto-signature most of the time, instead of attacking people you pick fights with other ghosts, and you're trying to bring up this super hero image." She then paused and turned to him in what seemed to be astonishment.

"What?" Danny asked as she remained silent.

"Oh well…. I just realized… I don't think we've ever talked before."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously as the realization sank in. "Oh!... uh, I guess not. Most of the time it is shouting or something…." Another silence ensued as the 2 now scrambled for a conversation. "Uh well…. I guess I'll just go then? I mean, if that's okay? I'm not trying to give you a reason to shoot at me or anything." Danny informed as he floated backwards.

Maddie raised her hand to stop him. "Hold on!"

Danny was taken by surprise as he raised both hands high overhead. "Sorry!"

Maddie shook her head as she gestured for him to lower his hands. "I still haven't decided to shoot you." She then raised a pensive hand to her hood and pulled it off. "Could I ask you a question though? Just something…. I guess maybe your point of view?" Danny's confusion was maxing out at this point as he nodded quietly. Seeing the positive response she holstered her blaster. "Well, I'm sure you know my son, you two share the same name."

Danny couldn't hide how nervous he was at this point as he struggled to calmly answer. "Uh.. y-yeah, I know him. W-wait I don't know him- know him, but I've seen him. He and I haven't ever talked or anything." His hand was now back to nervously rubbing the back of his neck as his expression held a tinge of panic.

Maddie raised a brow at his demeanor but dismissed it. "He's here with me. I brought him along to try and spend some time with him." Her expression seemed a bit downcast as she continued. "I feel like we've been growing apart especially now. He's always off with his friends, and he doesn't tell me anything anymore. I thought maybe if I dragged him away from all that like when we got stranded in Colorado that one weekend, we could reconnect." She then turned her gaze back to him. "I'm asking you this because you seemed to be around his age. Does forcing this on him make me a horrible mother?" She quickly found herself laughing slightly at herself and turned away from him. "What am I doing? Asking a ghost that-"

"No."

She gave pause at his response before turning to look at him. "What?"

Danny lowered his hand to his shoulder. "I said no." After a moment of watching her baffled expression he decided to elaborate. "Okay look, ghost or not, I get it. You just want to spend quality time with him, and while he's probably annoyed by the way you did it, I'm sure he'll come around." He said with a slightly guilty expression. "He'll eventually realize he's lucky to have a mom that cares like that." Danny wore a slight smile as he waited for his response to register, but after a moment he realized she seemed to be in deep thought. "Well… I'll just go then….?" She nodded slightly and he took it as his ticket to leave. "That has to be the most awkward….. second most awkward conversation I've ever had with my parents…."

Maddie watched as he flew out of sight and raised a hand to scratch her head. "What is wrong with me?" She then let out a sigh. "I guess Jazz is better at arguing her point than I first thought." With a shake of her head she turned back towards the hatch. "Jack is going to think I've lost it, I mean talking to the ghost boy? Even I think I'm crazy….." She paused only a moment more and turned back. "But, maybe Jazz was right?"

* * *

Inside the airship the Saturday's, minus Zak and Fiskerton, were having a small meeting of their own. "This is just going to get more difficult if we're not careful." Doc started as he sat at a lab table. "The Fentons, however short a period as it was , were Secret Scientists, and they can choose to tell the others if they found out."

Drew gave a nod. "Even though I really don't think Maddie would do that, you're right." She resigned. "And even if they decided to help us, I really don't want to drag them into this. They don't have the option to just move around like us."

Doyle crossed his arms. "Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all about keeping it in the family, but it might be a good idea. Besides, aren't we helping another Secret Scientist that agreed to keep quiet?"

Drew leaned onto her arms. "Yes, but Doc is probably right. This could likely cause more problems than we already have."

Doyle gave a shrug. "It was worth a shot. Anyway, so those two were part of your Secret Scientists?" He asked with a raised brow. "What happened? Ghosts not weird enough?"

Doc gave him a pointed glare. "No we just wanted to focus more on actual science, not make believe."

Drew rolled her eyes. "This again? Didn't you see the ghost cat from earlier? And then there was the blob that had broken loose on their way here."

Doc closed his eyes and sat back with his arms crossed. "I have yet to see any solid evidence that they were ghosts. I am not about to let myself be fooled like last time."

"Did last time include glowing blue cats and a green blob monster?" Doyle questioned in a teasing tone.

Doc responded with distaste. "No, but I'm taking my chances."

Drew gave a laugh. "I guess we'll just have to wait for you to see enough proof then, but honestly, we've seen alternate dimensions, underwater civilizations, and sentient lakes. I find it even stranger that you could be so closed to the idea."

Doc didn't waver. "I didn't support it before, and I don't support it now."

"It's fine Drew, you don't have to force it on him. I've had plenty of experience with other scientist with similar opinions. Jack and I decided to leave because it was for the best. We can do our research and the rest of you can do your own." Maddie comforted as she entered the lab. "Experience has taught me that for some, there will never be enough proof."

Doc turned to her with a reasonable expression. "That's not it. I just want some solid evidence that these things are ghosts."

Maddie raised a brow. "And what kind of evidence could I show you? Amity Park had to be sucked into the Ghost Zone before taking the ghost threat seriously despite being invaded even before that."

Doyle's expression became surprised. "Oh wait a minute, I saw that on TV. So that whole ghost invasion wasn't some tourist trap hoax?"

Maddie wore a more serious expression. "No it wasn't. The entire city of Amity Park was pulled into the Ghost Zone by a ghost who claimed to be their king. Anyway, I already knew about the hoax cover, no doubt the GIW's doing." She then shrugged. "Over all I don't see a problem with it though, since the hot spot doesn't stretch too far outside Amity Park. It just makes it easier for us to work." She then turned back to Doc. "In the end, your acceptance of the existence of ghosts doesn't really matter. Drew asked for my help and that's what I came here for."

Doyle gave a chuckle. "There you go Mr. Skeptical. You don't even have to think they're ghosts, just go along with it; Sounds simple enough to me."

* * *

 **So that's that. Background showing a previous connection between the Fentons and the Secret Scientists. I figured it would make alot of sense for them to be affiliated in some way.**

 **Also, because the SS universe has a more serious tone most of the time, I wanted to give Maddie a more realistic scientific view. In my opinion, she seems like she wouldn't exactly be closed off to the idea that a ghost wasn't evil given a bit of evidence for it. The fact that she's a mother also should influence her view of Phantom which isn't shown in the show. Outside some sort of mental issue, most mothers would have trouble thinking about a child as evil. It would be rooted into their maternal instincts. (Not true of everyone!) Also, a made a change to the Fenton view of ghosts so that only ghosts coming to the human world were assumed evil. Having no real information on the Ghost Zone, they wouldn't know much about those inside. This is also for future plot relevance... hint hint...=^-^=**

 **It should be noted that I warned you all about these sorts of changes back in Chapter 1. These should not come as a surprise at all.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed and will ask questions and leave reviews.=^-^=**


	4. Chapter 4 - Ambush

**So this is my fourth installment. Stuff will start happening, and I'm not good with fight scenes to be honest so bare with me. Please enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 4 - Ambush**

* * *

Danny and his Mom had stayed in a guest room aboard the airship. While Danny decided to sleep as late as he possibly could, Maddie decided to wake up to check on her data which should have been sent back by now. She had just finished getting ready when she reached for the door knob and felt it shake. "Hmm?" She raised a brow as she slowly opened the door and heard loud crashing coming from far off. She narrowed her eyes and took out one of her bow staffs. "Something must be going on…"

Outside, the sun hadn't risen too far up the sky as Doc and Drew stood back to back in defense. "What a way to start the day." Doc growled out as he defended blasts from a robot.

Doyle was busy trying to outmaneuver a UFO like aircraft with his thawed Jetpack. "How'd they even know where we were?" He grunted towards them as he flew overhead.

Near Doc and Drew, Fisk was standing ready with a bed headed Zak, who was still in his pajamas. "Do these guys have any idea what time it is?" He groaned angrily as he held up his claw in defense. Fisk growled in agreement as he glared at the monstrous Hibagon.

"I hope you will excuse us but time is of the essence boy." The scientist responded as both he and his pet Tiger closed in.

Doc disintegrated a missile as it flew their way. "And all attacking at once seems a bit much."

"At least they stopped underestimating us." Drew chimed in as she blasted at the robot with her fire sword.

"You'll find it harder to hit Deadbolt now that he has his new combat program."

Drew chuckled. "Still new and unimproved? Sounds like a challenge." She teased as she sent out a barrage of fire at the automaton.

Doyle's maneuvering was sluggish as he dodged Beeman's tractor beam. "Man, this thing is still damaged from the storm." He decided to dive down to dodge and the aircraft followed. Doyle eyed him from his peripheral vision. "I really wanna just knock this guy out…" A loud knocking soon started in his Jetpack as he lost control of his turning. "Oh man!" He yelled in dismay as he tried to pull up. He soon ended up in a tall pile of snow with smoke coming up from his pack. "Piece of junk." He spat as he threw it down. His frustration was short lived as Beeman had taken his chance to catch the ex-mercenary by surprise. Doyle now floated relatively helpless inside the field of the tractor beam. "Oh, all the ways I'm going to pay you back for this…" He grumbled as he tried to swim through the field with no luck.

Beeman, however, wore a proud smile as he held him in place with the intercom up to his mouth. "If you get the chance."

"Doyle!" Drew shouted when she saw her brother, but her anger was quickly redirected at Miranda who was using her gun to throw punches from a distance while Deadbolt blocked her retaliations. Drew swung down her sword on the androids arms which rose to block, though it didn't seem to do much damage.

"Do you like his new armor?" Dr. Grey teased as Drew dodged yet another punch.

Doc had by this point gone to help Zak and Fisk, who were having a bit of trouble out muscling Professor Mizuki's Hibagon strength. Zak was keeping his distance with opportunity attacks while his dad got in close. Fiskerton, was busy dealing with the tiger who proved to be very tenacious with the Lemurian. Before long, the two of them were wrestling on the ground and Fiskerton was holding its jaws open to ward off a bite. The large cat was only inches from his face before being launched back by a sudden force. Fiskerton was a bit baffled when he sat up and saw the cat tangled in a net, but when he turned and saw Mrs. Fenton holding a launcher not far away and he let out a breath of relief. "Well, well, well, aren't you all having fun early in the morning."

Mizuki glared at her from the corner of his eye as he grappled with Doc. "And just who are you? Don't interfere!"

Maddie, although surprised, wasn't about to be brushed off like that as she aimed the gun at the monstrous beast. "You may not be a ghost, but that doesn't mean you're not fair game! I'll teach you to brush me off!"

"Stop Maddie!" Doc shouted with a slight grunt. "I can take care of him. You should go help Drew!" Though he didn't want to, if Maddie were on their side, it would definitely help their situation at the moment. Maddie glared one more time at the Hibagon before dashing off towards Drew and the automaton.

Drew saw her coming as she ducked under the robot's arm. "Maddie!?"

The ghost hunter holstered the net launcher as she motioned to her friend. "Move to your left!" Drew complied quickly which revealed Miranda's fist coming from a small portal in space. Maddie, who was not only a 9th degree black belt, but also proficient in several forms of fighting, easily took hold of the scientist's wrist. With a practiced and fluid motion, she turned and heaved the scientist through her own portal and slammed her back onto the ground. It only took her a moment to recognize the scientist as she raised a brow in confusion. "Dr. Grey?"

With a grunt she opened her eyes and they too widened with surprise. "Maddie!? What are you doing here?"

"That's what I would like to ask you…." She then took a look around and saw Beeman's ship. "Is that Beeman? Why are you fighting each other?"

Drew blasted Dead Bolt back with her sword before turning to the confused scientists. "I'm sorry and you do deserve an explanation, but we need to stop them first. I'll be happy to explain everything after that."

* * *

Danny was peacefully asleep on the bed back inside the airship. Given the previous night's conversation, he felt much more relaxed. How his parents viewed him had always nagged at him from the back of his mind even though the one time they had known, they accepted him. Experience had already taught him though, that nothing is set in stone, and so anxiety wasn't uncommon at times. He'd been able to go to sleep easily enough, but when a familiar chill ran down his spine, he didn't want to rise at all. His ghost sense went off a few more times before he finally started to stir. " _Awaken Halfling…. It Is time to wake…. It is time."_

He slowly raised his eyelids and sat up in an ungraceful slump. "Morning already?" He then remembered his ghost sense and closed his eyes again, only this time to concentrate. "Where? Damn it…. I can't tell." He scratched his bedhead a bit and waited for it to go off again, but it didn't. With a grunt he a sighed in resignation. "That's what I get for waiting I guess. I wish all the other ghosts would just go away like that." He stretched a bit before finally getting out of the bed. "Might as well get up…." A few minutes later he was now out in the halls of the mysteriously quiet airship.

Once he entered the bridge area he heard a scratching and soon found his gaze on a rather frantic Komodo Dragon as he scrambled at the door. "You sure you want to go out there?" Danny questioned to the lizard as he zipped up his own jacket. Komodo hissed back before scratching at the door again. Danny scrutinized the lizard a bit more before noticing something even stranger through the windows. "Okay…. Now I think I might still be dreaming. Either that, or Doyle is being abducted by a UFO in broad daylight…."

Deciding to investigate over more speculation, he took the easy way out and phased through the ship since Komodo was the only one around to see. Once outside though, he instantly heard all of the commotion, as shots were fired and fists were thrown. "What the heck is going on?" He asked himself as he watched a moment, hidden mostly from view. It didn't take long for him to realize that the Saturday's were being ganged up on by the strange force while his mom seemed to be helping. "So a UFO, a robot and its scientist master, and a Yeti are all trying to beat them?" He paused a moment in his own disbelief. "And I thought my life was weird….." He then let out a sigh. "Well, I could Go-Ghost and help, but then my mom could think I'm a threat. The last thing I need is for her to have a mental set back about Phantom….." He raised a finger to his chin as he turned back to the captured Doyle. "So I guess Fenton's going to have to do for now."

While his physical abilities as a human were far less than as Phantom, he still had some skills; Sam would no longer let him be overly reliant on his powers after the last fiasco that got him into. So since physical strength was out, he opted for a more stealthy approach as he made himself invisible while running through the snow. He was able to approach the ship easily enough, but he had to time his appearance right as to not attract attention. Doyle who was floating helplessly in the field started to hear the faint crunch of snow from behind him and turned to see. "What the….?" He mumbled to himself as he couldn't see anything approaching even though he could still hear it. It was then that he saw some patches of snow as they were smashed undertow. He squinted in his own disbelief. "Is that Komodo?" His curiosity was cut short as he heard a small commotion from in his family's direction. He watched as Maddie Fenton joined the fray rather smoothly by taking out Mizuki's pet tiger. "Alright!" He yelled in approval as he raised a fist over his head.

"Doyle…." The young man heard in a whisper behind him.

He caught himself before shouting again in favor of turning to see who it was. This time he could see someone and that someone was Danny. "Hey D-"

The young teen waved to him with a finger over his lips. "Stay quiet." He ordered as he reached into one of his leg pockets. He pulled out some glowing rope and pulled some free with one hand.

"Oh I got ya." Doyle stated in a hushed tone as he slowly turned himself completely around. Danny swung the rope a bit before tossing it into the field. After a few sloppy reaches, Doyle was finally able to grab it and Danny began trying to pull the older man out of the field. It was easy at first, but as soon as Doyle got close to the edge, the field seemed to strengthen and Danny was now digging in his heels a bit in order to continue back. "Come on kid…. Just a little more." Doyle encouraged as his upper body was freed from the field. With one final jerk Doyle was freed as he fell face first in the snow with Danny falling onto his back. Doyle stood up and quickly knocked the snow off of himself. "Nice one kid, I owe you one." He thanked as he then reached out a hand for Danny to get up.

Danny was happy to take the assistance as he shook the snow from his hair, but as soon as he looked up, his face became distressed. Doyle was only confused for a moment before feeling the impact of Beeman's blaster hilt to the back of his head. "Should have stayed in the stasis field." He then gave the still sitting teen a wily grin. "And you, unless you want to spend the next 5 hours in suspended animation, I'd suggest you do exactly as I say." He commanded as he pointed his ray at the boy. Danny gave a glare as he stood his hands raised to be level with his head. Beeman directed him towards the others and he marched forwards as he silently cursed himself for not paying attention.

* * *

Drew blasted Dead Bolt back with her sword before turning to the confused scientists. "I'm sorry and you do deserve an explanation, but we need to stop them first. I'll be happy to explain everything after that."

Maddie was about to comply when she saw her son approaching them from a moderate distance. He didn't look too happy as he headed their way with his hands up in submission. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this party short." Beeman began with an annoyed tone. "Look, this is how it's going to go down, hand over Franken Hair, and we'll be on our way." As soon as Maddie realized it was Beeman who was, not only talking, but holding her son at gun point, she was more than furious. She let go off Miranda immediately and ran towards him. "Hold it!" He commanded as he pushed Danny forward a bit. "Not another step!"

Maddie understood the threat as her gaze sharpened. "Beeman! You let him go right now!"

Beeman raised a brow. "So he **is** your kid." He deduced with a smirk. "But you should teach him to mind his own business." He then pushed him over to her causing Danny to stumble forwards and Maddie to catch him before he fell. "You two don't have anything to do with this, so scram!"

Due to being distracted by the scene with Danny, Drew didn't notice Deadbolt until he was right on top of her. She stumbled slightly as the clumsy robot grabbed hold of her, while pinning her arms to her sides. "Drew!" Doc impulsively called which gave Mizuki the chance he needed to grab him up and bind him like Deadbolt did Drew.

Beeman then aimed his ray at Fiskerton and Zak. "Alright now Franken Hair, you can come quietly, or you and fuzzy there can enjoy 5 hours of paralyzing suspended animation."

Zak simply glared as Fiskerton guarded him protectively. "What do you think?"

Meanwhile Maddie held Danny with one arm protectively. "What were you doing out here?" She whispered to him.

"I was trying to help. I figured I could at least get Doyle free. Who are these guys anyway?"

Maddie shook her head a bit. "They are Secret Scientists like the Saturdays, but I don't know why they're fighting." Danny was about to ask her another question before the condensation from his mouth intensified and a chill ran down his spine. Maddie felt him shiver and then saw the slightly distressed look on his face. "Danny?"

A howl broke out in the area around them which was soon joined by a chorus of several more. As the skirmishers looked for the source almost instinctively, all eyes fell on the large fog bank as it drifted from inland. "Oh no….." Danny grumbled under his breath which baffled his mother slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"What is that?" Dr. Grey questioned as she turned to see it while blocking the snow glare with her hand. Seconds later, the fog exploded outward as several green forms burst forth from it. Maddie could hear her ghost detector going off like mad from her suit pocket and reached for her blaster which was on the opposite side of the net gun.

The green ghosts dashed around with agility as one stepped forward to face the humans. He appeared to be a wolf like ghost with two sets of glowing red eyes and horns just behind his ears which faced forward. " _Your fighting is foolish and upsetting! We do not permit for such things upon our territory. You upset the balance of nature with such negative energies! Lay down your weapons or you shall face the consequences!"_ The ghost was speaking a language that only two of those in the crowd could understand and so it wasn't too surprising when most of them directed their weapons towards the ghosts.

Drew was quick to enlighten her family as she told both Zak and Doc to drop their weapons. "Doc! Drop the glove! You too Zak, drop the Claw!" Both boys seemed frustrated at the request but Drew's serious expression was enough to quell any arguments. Upon seeing his family members disarm themselves, Fiskerton raised his hands in surrender with a sheepish smile. The other Scientist's, however, ignored the warning as they kept up their defensive stances.

The pack leader narrowed his gaze on them and as he did, the other wolves broke off and started making smaller circles around them. Maddie took it upon herself to aim straight for the leader as she charged up her blaster. The ghost saw this and dove down at them. " _Foolish human!_ "

"No mom!" Danny yelled as he knocked the gun from her hand. He then stood in front of her protectively but with his hands held up in submission.

The ghost stopped short and gave him a scrutinizing gaze. " _Wise decision half breed."_ He complimented as he turned to the others. " _One that they were not so wise to make."_ He then howled again and the other wolves responded by making faster tracks. Soon, fog tornadoes covered the area and confused shouting rang out.

Maddie simply held onto Danny protectively as she looked around at them. "What is…." The wolf stopped his howl and dashed off back the way he'd come. As soon as he left, the other wolves followed, and the fog began to clear around the battle field.

"What just happened?" Drew questioned as she tossed a disembodied robot arm to the ground. It only took a few seconds for the fog to clear completely and a few more for those remaining to see who was now missing.

"Where did the other Secret Scientists go!?" Zak asked in confusion and amazement. Doc looked around erratically for any sign of them and quickly found his way to the net where the tiger had been bound.

Drew kicked Deadbolt's sparking head with confusion of her own. "I don't know Zak… but something happened…."

Maddie turned to find Beeman's ray in pieces in the snow. "Looks like they were taken, and disarmed…" She deduced as she also noted Miranda's particle gun not too far away and also in pieces.

Drew raised a hand to her chin as she picked up her fire sword. "That would make sense….. they warned us not to fight."

"Warned us?" Zak asked as he walked over through the snow which was beginning to soak his pajama pants.

She gave a nod in response. "Those…. Whatever they were, spoke Esperanto, and they said that fighting upsets the nature around here. That warning was why I told you all to drop your weapons."

Maddie pulled out her handheld scanner. "Those things were ghosts, every single one of them. I have a log of at least 23 separate ecto-signatures on here."

Doc wore a disbelieving expression as he looked around again. "So you're telling me that a pack of ghost wolves just took them!?"

Drew nodded to her husband. "That's what it looks like. It's not uncommon for people to be spirited away in myth, especially when the culture is very closely related to nature. The Inpachi around New Mexico have and old myth about intruders on sacred ground being taken away by dust devils."

They then heard a groan as Doyle approached, while rubbing his head, from over where Beeman's airship now floated silently. "Man… somebody point me to where ever that UFO junkie went so I can…." He trailed off when he saw the situation had calmed and the Secret Scientists were nowhere to be found. "Aww man! Don't tell me I missed the whole butt kicking!?" Doyle cried out in irritation.

* * *

 **Shazam! Hope you liked that. So yeah... ghost wolves... I went there. Anyway, the Secret Scientists are now kidnapped though I think that did more to help than harm in that situation. Also, Danny was holding back. He'll get some action in the future. This one is a tad shorter than the others, but this is also the best stopping point so sorry about that. Please comment and ask questions in a review. They are always appreciated.=^-^=**


	5. Chapter 5 - Scientific Study

**Happy Saturday! Well, I hope yours was anyway. Here in the south its tailgate season which is bad for anyone who works fastfood... Anyway, so some attempted science in here, but don't take it seriously cause I made up so much of it...=^-^=**

 **Ch. 5 - Scientific Study**

* * *

After spending a few more minutes debating outside they all decided it would be best if they went inside where it was warm especially once Zak started shivering in his snow boots. They gathered in the lab where Danny took a seat at an empty bench and Doyle followed not long after while rubbing the sore spot on his head. He gave a groan as he took a load off. "Man. I swear when I see that guy again, I'm gonna start by giving him the biggest power wedgie you can possibly give a guy that size."

Danny raised a brow at him. "Start?"

Doyle gave a slightly mischievous nod. "Oh, that's just a start. That guy's had a whole lot more coming to him the last few months." He seemed to be imagining the whole thing in his head a moment before turning to Danny. "By the way, thanks for getting me out of that stupid UFO ray." He paused a moment. "I guess I actually owe you 2 now don't I?"

Danny waved it off. "Its fine really… I just wanted to help."

That's when the teen's mom interjected. "Help or not young man, that was extremely dangerous!" She scolded sternly causing Danny to recoil back slightly as any kid would under their parent's scolding words. She then turned to the Saturday parents who seemed to be exchanging wordless glances. "So now Drew, I would like that explanation. Why were you fighting? Beeman, I can understand, but Miranda? And I can only assume that the yeti was a Secret Scientist as well?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

Drew gave a nod. "Professor Mizuki was the Hibagon and yes he's a Secret Scientist. We've recently had a bit of a falling out regarding…" She trailed off as she eyed Zak from the corner of her eye.

The young boy stepped forward in agitation. "It's me alright!? They're fighting because of me!" He started with a frustrating yell. "Because I'm some stupid reincarnation of Kur, and they think I'm going to call up an army of Cryptids to destroy humanity!"

Drew kneeled down to the exasperated Saturday and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Calm down Zak, alright?"

He pushed himself away. "No! I'm not going to calm down! Every time we try to do something helpful, those guys find us and fight! Why is all of this happening!" He then seemed to calm just a bit as he looked over to Danny with slight envy. "What I wouldn't give to just have a normal life for a change….." Both Doc and Drew gave him sympathetic looks as he took a releasing breath.

"Kur…..? But Kur is a Cryptid isn't it?" Maddie inquired while not quite sure of entirely what it was. "I remember you mentioning it years ago."

Drew gave a nod as she stood up. "Kur was a Cryptid, the scourge of the ancient world with limitless power and could control and army of Cryptids."

Maddie, still seeming quite confused, posed another question. "But that still doesn't explain how Zak could be it? Kur was a Cryptid and Zak's human. How would you even know?"

Drew shook her head. "We're not entirely sure ourselves, but we believe we may unleased it when we dug up the Kur stone in the beginning. It somehow latched onto Zak…."

"The how is my fault." Doyle added in begrudgingly. "If I hadn't brought that stupid juju stick thing….."

Drew let out a sigh. "You couldn't have known Doyle, none of us could."

He turned to her in frustration. "Yeah, but if I had just listened to you, then those other egg heads wouldn't be trying to put Zak in some cryo-freezer."

Danny could feel this situation hitting close to home for him since his face off with his future self and it made him mad. "So these scientists think Zak is going to raise an army and wipe out humanity? They're basing this all on some old legend?"

Drew turned to him in understanding. "Yes, but Kur isn't just a legend, it was a real Cryptid and it laid waste to civilizations."

Danny turned around on the bench with an agitated expression. "But this Kur thing was evil?" He then pointed to a slightly agitated Zak. "But Zak's not evil…. He's like… 12 right? Besides, any kid who would run out into a snow storm to save his family can really only be called stupid in this case, not evil."

Doc wore a bewildered expression as he looked down at Zak. "So you did run out in that snow storm after I specifically told you not too."

Zak jumped at the sudden change of mood as his father gazed down at him with his arms crossed. He then gave a shrug with a sheepish expression. "Come on, it all worked out in the end didn't it?"

"That's not the issue here Zak." Drew chimed in with her own strict tone.

Zak grumbled a bit as he turned to Danny. "You just had to say something didn't you?"

Danny shrugged in response. "Consider it payback for tripping me with that stupid claw of yours, and it did hurt by the way." He then crossed his arms. "Besides, you would've ended up a popsicle if I hadn't gone after you. Shouldn't someone who grew up traveling know what to do in a snow storm like that? You just barreled through the door with nothing but your clothes."

Zak was taken slightly aback by the accusation, knowing himself that he wasn't really thinking at the time. "Of course I-"

Danny shook his head. "You couldn't see 5 feet in front of your face, how were you going to find him? Another good question, how were you going to get back?" Zak was a bit frustrated by the information especially knowing that Danny was right. He didn't think it over much, and he probably would've been lost out in the snow by himself. "Not thinking clearly in that kind of situation is liable to end badly."

That did it for the young Saturday. Even though what Danny was telling him was completely true, he just couldn't take it anymore. 'How does some city kid who's only known him for a day get off telling him how to act in an emergency? He's probably never even been outside of Amity Park! He could never understand what it's like to be considered a monster and hunted down!' He thought angrily as he stomped his way over to the teenager. "Says the kid who got captured by Beeman!? Why don't you just mind your own business! Some kid from some nice normal city wouldn't know anything about me or my family! If I hadn't gone out after Doyle, I bet you would have just stayed inside and let him freeze to death!"

Danny stood up and glared at the young Kur. "Now who's assuming things huh!? You're barking up the wrong tree if you think anything about my life is normal! You think I wanna be here!? No! I'd much rather be at home then dragging some ungrateful little brat out of the snow or dealing with, guess what?, MORE GHOSTS! As if I don't see them every day at home!"

"Now Danny-" Maddie tried to intervene when she saw just how uncharacteristically angry her son was getting.

"WHAT!?" He growled angrily as he faced her. He instantly regretted it of course as he saw how hurt she was by it, if the guilt in his eyes was any indication, but was just too frustrated for any kind of apology. Instead he just stomped out of the lab after giving Zak one more agitated glare.

Zak just gave a huff and crossed his arms. "Jerk." He was then grabbed by one of his arms and when he turned to see who it was he met angry expressions all around. "What?" He asked in a bratty tone.

"What do you mean what? All of that was uncalled for young man!" Drew scolded as she pulled him over. "What was that supposed to accomplish?" She asked in a stern tone. "Were you even thinking before saying any of that?"

Zak was quick to protest his innocence. "Oh come on! That jerk totally started it!"

Doyle stood and crossed his arms. "Yo mini-man, were you even listening to yourself?"

Zak raised a brow to his uncle while Doc gave a stern nod. "He's right Zak, you're the one who started that argument. Everything that Danny was saying before is right, and given his situation at the time, he didn't have to go after you. Running out into that storm was a foolish thing to do." Zak's expression was more than disbelief as his anger faded and realization set in.

Drew let out a sigh as she pointed to the halls. "Now I want you in your room, now. It'll give you time to think about it and how you plan to apologize." She then turned to Fisk. "Fiskerton, make sure he gets there, and no detours." The Lemurian nodded in understanding before calling Zak over. (Come on.)

Fisk gave Zak his own disapproval as he trudged past him sullenly. "Not you too Fisk?"

Fisk nodded in response and waved his finger. (You went too far.) Zak hung his head and crossed his arms as he was guided out of the lab.

Drew then made her way over to Maddie with an apologetic expression. "I'm very sorry about that Maddie, really…"

Maddie, though right next to her, seemed mentally far off as she stared at the hall Danny had left through. After a moment she regained herself and turned to her friend. "Oh!... What was that?"

Her expression was troubled and Drew understood. "I just wanted to apologize for my son. He's not usually like that, but with the stress of this morning-"

Maddie waved it off. "It's fine Drew, Danny wasn't really helping with the way he was speaking either….. I don't think I've ever seen him get that angry before…" She ended as she turned back to the hall. "I can't even decide if it would be the best thing to go after him at this point." She said sullenly and with a slight sigh.

"Nah, he could probably use the time to himself like Zak." Doyle suggested as he leaned back on the bench.

Doc seemed to agree as he added his own sense in. "They both probably need to calm down alone."

The tense situation was broken by the video phone as the emblem for Fenton Works appeared on the screen. Maddie, after taking a breath, quickly answered it in anticipation for her results. "Hey Maddie!" Jack answered enthusiastically. "You're not going believe what's happening right where you are!" He pulled up a few papers and started to scan through them to double check himself. "You're standing in an ectoplasmic hotspot that rivals Amity Park! And that ghost? It's readings are through the roof of spectral activity! Based on the ERAS it has to be at least a 9, maybe higher!"

Maddie raised a surprised brow at the information. "What? If the hot spot really were the size of the one in Amity Park then there would be far more spectral activity."

Jack gave a shrug. "I don't know what's going on either, but it's still increasing even right now! The readings themselves are still lower than they are here but the range, WOW!"

Maddie lifted the handheld she had adapted into the lab computer. "This can't be right….?"

"What's wrong Maddie?" Drew asked as she approached the console.

"This is happening way too fast." She took to the console and brought up a map. "You see this here?" She asked as she pointed to the area around Pingano village. "This represents the readings from the village before. At that point, they were negligible; nothing to really report on considering there was a ghost sighted already. These, however," She began as she pointed to the airship's position. "These have changed dramatically. When we first landed I was sure to begin collecting data immediately, but these readings indicate an increase of around 3 times the original."

"What about those ghost wolves from before?" Doc enquired as he joined the discussion. "Couldn't they have influenced your results?"

Maddie shook her head. "No, this is based on ectoplasmic energy density found in the area not from ghosts. They may have the same basic makeup but they don't register the same. One will generally herald the other though, as ghosts are found in places with high ectoplasmic density."

Drew raised a hand to her chin. "Then what could increase the density?"

Maddie wore a serious expression as she pulled out a memory drive from her suit. "That's the confusing part." She started as she plugged it in and began running a sort of simulation. "An area's natural ectoplasmic density doesn't generally change by any significant amount. The density is directly proportional to how thick the border between our world and the Ghost Zone is in an area."

Doyle immediately shot up. "Whoa! Hold it, back up…. Ghost Zone? Like another dimension sort of thing?"

Maddie turned and gave a nod. "Yes, the Ghost Zone. It's a parallel dimension to our own. As a matter of fact, it's more like its entwined with ours, like two ropes." She described while expressing it with her hands. "While they are separate, they can connect at times and when that happens, the density will increase." She then turned to the computer again and activated the simulation on the screen. "And when the density hits a certain point…" The screen then showed a special twisting before a tunnel appeared on the holographic surface. "A portal will be created."

Drew seemed to be familiar with the topic as she thought back. "I remember this. This is what you and Jack were researching before right?"

Maddie gave a nod while Doc seemed to remember a bit himself. "I think I remember something like that too…. I'm pretty sure Beeman told me about some explosion being the result." Doc concluded with a skeptical eye.

Maddie simply scoffed. "Well science does come with setbacks, and that was one of ours. It took years before we were actually able to make a stable portal to the Ghost Zone."

"You betcha!" Jack chimed in. "You wanna see?" He asked while ignoring any answer. He turned the video screen so that the Fenton Portal was in full view. "And this one didn't explode." He said proudly. "Though we're not allowed to get power from the city anymore."

Maddie let out a sigh as she remembered the letter they mailed them. "Artificially increasing the ectoplasmic density of the portal's space takes a lot of power." She then shook the memory from her mind. "Anyway, the reason this is so strange is that this is happening naturally. There's no real focal point which would be showing up if it was unnatural. If the readings continue like this, it could be a matter of hours before an actual portal manifests itself in the area."

Doyle raised a brow. "So if these things can occur naturally, why haven't they been seen? I mean, I've been all over the world and haven't seen anything like that."

"It's understandable that you haven't seen one. They are a very rare occurrence and don't last very long; maybe 10 or so minutes. They also only appear in a hot spot as I mentioned earlier and there's only a couple dozen of them on the planet with only a handful of them being able to spawn a portal. The reason we even live in Amity Park is because it has density levels high enough to sustain a portal in the first place. Trying to do it without a suitable location was the biggest problem with our first attempt, which resulted in that explosion." She then pulled up a map. "But, maybe you've heard about the Bermuda Triangle?"

Doc wore a skeptical expression. "Don't tell me you're going to start in on that."

Maddie gave a shrug. "I'm not saying that everything can be attributed to it, but the ectoplasmic density of the area is more than enough to make ghost portals."

"Oh, that's cool." Doyle commented as he thought over the concept. "I could just imagine some of those planes flying right into one of those portals."

Doc rolled his eyes which got him a jab in the side from Drew. "Doc!"

He saw the frown his wife was giving him and so with a resigned sigh he nod. "Fine, I'll admit it's maybe just a little bit possible."

Maddie took the small victory without hesitation. "It's the little victories that count I guess." She then turned back to the video screen. "Now about that ghost?"

Jack seemed to almost forget in lite of all the portal information. "Oh right." He responded as he pulled up the data screen. It linked to the one in the lab in a matter of seconds through Maddie's handheld. "It's readings are definitely at least a level 9." His expression turned serious as he continued. "This is the highest reading a ghost can have on the ERAS."

Maddie quickly cut in with an explanation."The ERAS, or Ectoplasmic Reading Assessment Scale, was already in place decades ago, but Jack and I had to increase the original 5 levels to 9 due to a recent increase in spectral activity in Amity Park. We thought it was the portal at first, but since it only started around 6 months ago it leaves the question of why it took so long to happen?"

Jack then seemed to remember something. "Oh right! Maddie, I actually wanted to talk to you about the experiment."

Maddie raised a brow. "Nothing happened to it right?"

Jack shook his head with a furrowed brow. "Come on Maddie that was 8 years ago! It hasn't even been 24 hours since you left."

Maddie gave a compromising nod. "Fine, so what's going on?" She asked which brightened the elder Fenton immediately.

"Okay, so the ectoplasmic density readings are now showing a stabilizing shift, and the crazy part is that it only started yesterday." Maddie seemed astonished by the news which confused the Saturdays.

"So that's not supposed to happen?" Drew inquired.

"No… it's not…. At least not so obviously. It takes months for a shift like that to occur normally."

Jack gave a nod. "Now, the reason I'm saying this is about that ghost. There has only been one recorded level 9 to appear in Amity Park, and that occurred 6 months ago."

Maddie pondered a moment. "You don't think….."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking Maddie. Imagine if that ghost is actually the cause…." He trailed off as he became serious once again. "You and Danny need be careful around this one. There's no telling of what it could do." He then seemed to hear something in the background and the serious moment shattered. "Oh, gotta go! Just call if you need anything else!" He then ended the call rather abruptly.

Doyle then held out his hand and began counting. "So we have a crazy powerful ghost on the loose, a horde of ghost wolf things, 3 missing Secret Scientists, a possibility of random ghost portals, and two angry kids… Did I miss anything?" He inquired rather playfully as he turned to the Saturday couple.

"No, I'm pretty sure that sums it up." Drew responded with a playful tone. "But I'm up for leaving those 3 off the 'to do' list."

"I thought we were trying to be better than them?" He reminded in a sullen tone.

"Ugh…. I hate the high road…" She responded with disdain.

* * *

 **Those last couple of lines were from the SS. I really loved that part cause of how they looked when they said them. Anyway, so science... maybe, and teenager explosion. Looks like Danny and Zak arn't making any headway in the friendship department huh? Give 'em some time. Also, Jack is smart...ish. I told you that's what I would do to him. Its more realistic that way. Anyway more fun to come next week! (Hopefully I can update some of my other fics as well...)**

 **Feel free to ask questions and leave comments in a review! I love them!=^-^=**


	6. Chapter 6 - More Problems?

**Happy Saturday! or Tailgate season if that's more relevant to you... Anyway, so I have a pretty long chapter for you this time around with stuff! Lot's of stuff!=^-^=**

 **Note- Oh, before reading, I would just like to point something out. Now the blue cat in this story is actually about the size of a Cheetah or Jaguar not the little cat the cover art might suggest.**

 **Ch. 6 - More Problems?**

* * *

A few hours later, all but the two boys were still in the lab going over the energy readings and what to do about them. Fisk, who had come in not long after taking Zak to his room, now sat at the lab bench playing with a ball like object. Drew turned to the door leading to the hall. "Maybe I should go check on Zak? I think I've given him enough time to cool down."

Doc thought for a moment before agreeing. "Probably, and it is getting close to lunch."

Just as the woman stood, the video phone rang. She walked over to answer it casually. "Maybe its Dr. Cheechoo?" She was proven wrong when Ulraj, king of Kumari Kandam, was on the other end. Drew was surprised to say the least. "Ulraj?"

He seemed to be somewhat flustered as he answered. "Yes, I am in need of Zak's powers again." Drew and Doc traded glances. "Did your city serpent go wild again?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't say wild but…. He's not listening to anyone. It was very strange. It actually started a while ago, but we have yet to find a solution. For some reason he's become intent on going somewhere, and has been moving north ever since."

Doc rubbed his chin. "That is strange…. Why would it come north? It's natural habitat is warm waters."

Ulraj gave a nod. "Yes, and if he keeps moving like this, I don't know how the cold water will affect him."

Doc pulled up a map on the console across from where Maddie was still working. "Another strange cryptid migration to add to the list." Doc didn't seem to know what to think about it. "Cryptids have been sighted all over in places they shouldn't be. Even cryptids no one has seen in centuries are popping up and moving."

Drew then pointed to more recent entry. "And strange as it seems, several of the more recent ones seem to be moving north also." She turned to Ulraj. "What's your position right now?"

He turned to someone off screen for a moment before turning to face them. "According to our most recent survey, we are heading North in the Atlantic at 40W and 53N."

Both scientists were bewildered by the news as they traded those very glances. "Your just south of Greenland…..?"

Ulraj gave a nod. "Why? What's wrong?"

Doc was quick to enlighten him. "That's where we are. If the serpent keeps that heading, you'll be at the coast within half an hour."

Ulraj gave a sigh of relief. "Good, then hopefully we can resolve this quickly. The waters are getting very cold here." He ended with a slight shiver, which incited one of his servants to hand him a blanket. "I look forward to seeing you then."

The call ended with that as both scientists thought over the strange coincidence. "That….. what could it mean?" Doc asked as he looked to Drew. "It's like they can sense somethings wrong and they're moving to do something…. But what?"

Doyle, who had taken interest in Fiskerton's new toy, responded rather absent mindedly. "Maybe there homing in on Zak? He's the reason they're so jumpy now right?"

Drew's brows rose. "But why…..?"

Doc closed his eyes as he thought and voiced his theory. "Maybe it's because of his powers. They are instinctively coming to him because he's Kur?"

Drew had doubts as she rubbed her chin. "But he's been having trouble with them ever since Antarctica."

"This just keeps getting better doesn't it?" Doc teased as he broke the slight tension.

"Doesn't it always?" Drew shot back. "Anyway, I'm going to go and get him." And with that she left down the hall.

"Maybe I should go check on Danny too? He didn't seem like himself before." Maddie decided as she turned and found her way towards the opposing doorway.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Saturdays gathered out by the water, which was in view of the airship and awaited the arrival of the city of Kumari. Zak was among them of course and while still a bit angry, he was quite calm as Drew held him by the shoulders. The water stirred and the serpent was soon rising above the coast. "That's cool, every time I see it." Doyle commented at the large creature.

Upon it's back sat the city of Kumari where Ulraj was waving in greeting. After making his way to the shore he strode along while watching the sea serpent in curiosity. "It's incredibly strange that it would stop at the shore so close to your airship, but convenient."

Zak looked up at the cryptid as its gaze seemed to find its way to the boy. "You really think that cryptids are coming to find me?"

Doc gave a nod. "I think this is pretty substantial evidence."

Ulraj turned to his friend in curiosity. "He came to find you?"

Zak gave an exasperated nod. "Yeah, being the incarnation of Kur is apparently turning me into a cryptid magnet."

The Kumari then turned to the giant serpent. "Does that mean you can't persuade him to return to the Indian Ocean?"

"Drew!" They heard from behind. The Saturday in questioned turned to see a rather worried ghost hunter. "Drew have you seen Danny!?" Maddie slowed down a bit as she approached, taking note of the giant sea serpent. "Whoa! It's bigger than you made it out to be." She then turned back to face her fellow scientist. "So have you seen Danny? I can't find him anywhere."

Drew shook her head. "No, I haven't. Anyone else?" It was head shakes all around as no one came forward with a location.

Maddie gave a sigh. "Where could he go out here? I should have just gone after him from the start…."

Drew placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry Maddie, we'll find him."

She then turned to Zak. "Think you can try and get the serpent to go back? I know you've been having trouble with them but he can't stay here very long."

Zak gave a nod. "Yeah… no sweat, he's not even freaking out like before." He proclaimed with relative confidence.

"Mom!"

Maddie instantly turned to her son's voice. "Danny!?" The young teen was running their way which gave Maddie some relief. "Oh thank heavens."

"See, he seemed to be looking for you too." Drew commented with mutual relief. "Over here Danny!" She called as she watched the young teen gaze up at the serpent in awe.

"What is that!?" He called back, but Maddie really didn't know what to say since she hadn't much clue herself.

Zak raised the Claw as his eyes lit up in an orange glow. "Okay cryptid powers, nice and easy…" The glow moved to the Claw and the serpent's eyes soon matched. "That's right…." He said as he steadied himself. "I've done this before-" Without warning the cryptid seemed to rear back much to the dismay of the onlookers. Zak struggled to keep it calm as he grunted from the strain. "No no, come on sea serpent, you don't want to go crazy here…"

Drew pat him on the back. "Stay focused Zak."

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea….." Ulraj mumbled aloud.

Zak instantly disagreed. "No, I've got this!" But the serpent seemed to grow wilder and push back from the shore. (What's that!?) Yelped Fiskerton as he pointed towards Danny. A strange green energy seemed to be floating just behind the teen as he approached.

He gave a shiver as he slowly turned towards it and looked on in surprise. "Oh….. oh no."

"Danny!" Maddie shouted as she ran towards him. The energy began to become more corporeal as two specters formed and swirled together. With an eerie shriek they twisted and melted away in the green swirling portal. Danny jumped back as the portal finished forming and something tried to come out. Maddie was swift in response as she pulled out her blaster and pulled Danny behind herself. "Back off ghost!" Drew dashed up behind her with her fire sword drawn and ready to fire alongside her friend. Soon they were staring down a foul looking specter with fangs, tusks, and giant glowing red eyes. They both blasted at the creature before it could come through any further and to their own delight, it retreated. Maddie blew on the end of her blaster. "That's what happens when you try to break into our world ghost!"

Drew sheathed her sword in victory. "Somehow that was a bit disappointing." Karma agreed as a large red claw broke through next and both women were snatched up in an instant. They were dragged through the portal in seconds and the swirling vortex faded right after.

"Mom!" Both Danny and Zak called out at once.

"Drew!" Doc shouted as he dashed towards the spot where the portal had been only to find empty air.

"Darn it!" Doyle cursed as he glared at the space.

Of course, with Zak's focus broken, the serpent was free to go wild. Zak turned back to it and tried to reinstate contact but now his powers seemed to be far less compliant. "Come on stupid powers!" His effort was wasted as the connection failed to hold and he let out a breath of exhaustion. Though his attempts to calm the cryptid were feudal, after a few minutes, it calmed on its own and reaffirmed its gaze on Zak.

"That portal forming must have spooked it." Doyle deduced as he turned back to the calmed lizard.

Doc turned back to the serpent himself. "That's what it looks like. Maddie was right but…. What are the odds it would open up right here next to us!?" He shouted in anger.

"What just happened!?" A weakened Zak asked in slight panic. "What was that!?"

"It was a ghost portal…." Danny informed as he gazed in slight disbelief himself. "Mom….."

Ulraj looked onto them with a raised brow. "It reminds me of the door my grandfather used to tell me about."

Zak turned to him in confusion. "A door?"

Ulraj nodded. "Yes, a swirling green door. My grandfather used to tell me stories about our earliest days. Back when we first started trading with other cultures, we came across one in particular known as the FarFrozen. According to him, they helped make Kumari what it is today with their technology and knowledge. They would come around to our waters during the winter and they would appear through doors like this one." He then reached into his shirt and pulled out a green gemstone about the size of his palm. "This is one of the few things left from what they gave us." Danny was more than shocked to hear any of this as he gazed at the stone in curiosity, but remained silent. "It's supposed to be able to make a door like that one, but my grandfather said it was an important heirloom and to be cared for."

Zak instantly reached for it. "But if it can make a portal then we need to use it!"

The Kumari pulled back immediately. "This artifact is very important to my people! I cannot simply give it out! Besides, I am not even sure of how it forms a door."

Doc pulled Zak back. "Calm down Zak." He then turned to Ulraj. "Do you have any idea of how it works at all?"

The Kumari raised a hand to his chin. "I am not completely certain, but it requires a special kind of energy if I'm not mistaken. It's supposed to glow before the door forms, but that's only what my grandfather told me and even he was told second hand."

Doyle crossed his arms. "Then that doesn't really help us does it? It's basically just some old rock if we can't make it work."

Ulraj cleared his throat in agitation. "A prized and valuable heirloom."

Doyle rolled his eyes. "Right."

Doc then turned slightly to see the analytical gaze on the young teen who'd remained silent. It was curious to him at how he was taking the situation as if he was experienced with his calm. "Danny?"

The boy turned to him with a brow raised. "Huh? Uh yeah…?"

"Are you okay?"

Danny was a bit surprised by the question. "oh.. I'm fine Mr. Saturday really." He then headed back towards the airship without another word.

"Looks like he's in shock…" Doyle stated in equal confusion.

"I don't think so.." Doc disagreed.

"Don't you think we should be worrying about mom?" Zak questioned with slight agitation. What kind of kid doesn't worry about their mom when they get kidnapped by an interdimensional monster? Zak just couldn't believe how Danny didn't seem to care. "We should just leave that jerk alone."

Doc gave him a stern expression. "Did you even think about your last few hours in your room."

Zak crossed his arms. "If he doesn't want to help get his own Mom back then I don't care."

Doyle placed a hand on his shoulder. "Cool it mini-man. You gotta remember Danny's experiences are different from yours."

Doc gave a nod. "I doubt he gets into fire fights or fights monsters on a regular basis like you do."

Zak didn't really look like he had a change of heart but relented all the same. "Fine, but can we get back to what we're going to do about mom?"

Doc gave a nod. "I think maybe we should call Jack. He might be able to shed a bit of light on how we can get into this Ghost Zone and get Drew and Maddie back."

* * *

Inside the Ghost Zone, Maddie and Drew now found themselves on a high platform of some kind. The large red monster that had grabbed them, dropped them down onto it and flew off without a moment's hesitation. After taking a moment to get themselves straight, the 2 scientists stood up to get a good look around. "So are we…?" Drew started as she gazed up at the warped green sky of the Zone.

Maddie gave a serious nod. "It seems so, but where did that ghost fly off to?" She then looked over towards the edge. "And just where did it leave us?"

Drew sheathed her sword, which she had pulled off the ground, and followed Maddie to the edge. "I don't suppose you know a way out?"

Maddie continued her analytic scan as she shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Although we have taken several scans, we have never actually traversed the Zone. We still know far too little about it to be honest."

Drew looked over the edge and tried to see towards the bottom, but only saw a slightly wider edge with a void beneath. "Any of those scans tell you how big it is?"

Maddie took out a new hand held device as she took scans of the area. "It's endless; as boundless as space itself."

Drew turned to her with a brow raised. "Endless?"

"Yes, you may have heard the expression, 'Infinite Realms' before? It's a reference to the Ghost Zone. This dimension leads to an endless number of other ones, but that's as far as Jack and I can tell. We tend to do most of our hunting and research on the ghosts in Amity Park. While the ghosts who come to our world are very malevolent, the ones who stay in the zone tend to be less so." She then paused a moment before giving a sigh. "Well, I guess I should say most of the ghosts that come to our world."

"Most?" Drew inquired.

"Yes, Jack and I recently had a bit of an awakening to it. My daughter Jasmine brought several pieces of evidence to the table, and we just couldn't disprove them." She then gave a laugh. "And the funny part is, that this all started over Phantom, our self-proclaimed 'hero'." She seemed amused at her own statement.

"And you don't agree?" Drew asked in genuine interest.

"Well.." She started as she raised a hand to her chin. "In more recent days I would have to, but early on, he was as much of a menace as the others. Regardless though, it has been the better part of a year since anything but property damage has been on his list, but that happens with or without him around."

Drew gave a nod. "You never know with ghosts though, maybe things started out as a misunderstanding? Did he ever try to explain himself?"

Maddie took a moment to think back to their first meeting. It was during the first ghost invasion with those ghosts in riot gear and that crazy wolf. "Maybe…." She started as she remembered the boy trying to tell them something inside city hall. _"You people have to listen to me, I'm being set up!"_ Maddie's eyes widened a bit. "I suppose he did….?" She then shook the thought from her mind. "But he then attacked us out of nowhere." She remembered unpleasantly.

" _Such things are not always as they appear._ " The 2 women suddenly heard from behind. They turned to find the blue cat ghost from the night before standing, ready to pounce. " _I do understand though, as you humans had not the whole story._ "

The scientists instantly drew their weapons and readied for attack. "So it's you again, well you're not getting away again!" She was just about to fire when the ghost seemed to sit down calmly.

"Hold on!" Drew requested as she held her hand out in front of Maddie. "Maybe we misunderstood." Maddie raised a brow as she lowered her blaster.

The specter gave a nod in response to Drew's theory. " _Very insightful. I must commend you for being able to see so clearly given your situation._ " When the ghost received only curious expressions in return, she seemed to remember something. " _Oh, how silly of me to forget_." She then turned towards the center of the platform and tapped her paw to the ground. A small hole opened from the floor and up floated a stone medallion. After placing it around her neck she cleared her throat. "I suppose that helps some?"

After watching the small show, both ladies were quite surprised to find the ghost now speaking to them in plain English. "What… what…." Maddie was slightly speechless.

"That…. Is it?"

The ghost nodded. "My, you are quite well versed in ancient myth and reliquary." She commended as she held up the charm. "This is indeed a Babel Stone. I am using it to communicate with you since I am incapable of standard speech common to human realm."

Drew seemed fascinated as she eyed the necklace. "This is amazing! There have only been a handful of confirmed findings of these in recorded history."

The specter nodded. "Yes well, you will find them here and there about the Zone if you look."

Maddie's surprise faded as she crossed her arms. "Where are we?"

The abrupt change in topic was not unexpected for the ghost. "Ah, determined. I always admired that quality in humans." She mused before looking up. "No doubt you've realized you're in the Ghost Zone. The Leviathan was very cordial in bringing you straight here to my plateau."

Maddie then raised her blaster a bit. "So you're the one who dragged us here!"

"Why are we here!?" Drew added in as she reached for her sword again. "What do you want with us?"

The specter raised both brows as she tried to clear the misunderstanding. "Ah, but that's the misunderstanding. It was not I who brought you here. The Zone had reached out to the human world. I merely had you brought here when I had found out that the Leviathan had taken you."

"And why was that!?" They heard from the side. Three robed ghosts that seemed to have eyes for heads, approached. "Why have you interfered!?"

The ghost glared at them in response. "I suppose the better question is, why did you? I had the situation under control. Sending out the Leviathan was foolish! You are Observants are you not? Why don't you simply observe!"

The 3 ghosts traded glances amongst themselves before the leader spoke again. "But the degradation is worsening. The balance must be set."

"And it will be! Your interference may have cost us time!" She then stood and took a step towards them. "Now as Clockwork would say, 'Care to Observe the door?' you incompetent fools."

They seemed to recoil back a bit at the reprimand but didn't leave. "But it was the Zone itself that reached out. We were simply trying to help it along."

The cat ghost rolled her eyes at them before responding. "Yes and it will continue to, but trying to help it will only cause problems." She gestured towards the 2 women. "You see the mistake you have caused with your meddling? You are lucky I caught wind of this when I did, or something could have happened to them." She then sharpened her gaze. "The zone is not meant for humans, as you know. You could have caused one harm, and then where would we be with the crown?!"

The Observants traded wary glances amongst themselves before bowing in resignation. "Then the fault is ours Gaia. We shall leave you then." The 3 of them did as promised and the 3 were soon alone again.

"So they dragged us here?" Drew inquired as she turned back to her new host.

"Yes." Gaia started with a nod. "My deepest apologies for them. They are quite short sighted at times."

Maddie held her chin in thought. While having all of these ghosts around does make her on edge, she is first and foremost a scientist and as such, tends to be curious when needed. "You said the Ghost Zone itself reached out?"

The specter was surprised at the scientists' inquiry. "Yes I did human, though I must admit, I am surprised you picked up on that so quickly. Most do not pick up on the concept so easily." She gestured to the green sky above. "This world, while not actually alive or sentient in any way, has a balance much like the human realm. When something begins to tip the scale, forces of the Zone will try and rectify it."

Drew related it quickly due to her own experience. "Right, when one force is created, another is created and when one force is destroyed…"

"Another is destroyed. Exactly human, exactly." Gaia praised with a cordial paw. "But if all forces were allowed to degrade… well that simply wouldn't do and so the scale will try to right itself."

"So the portal was a manifestation of that? Why? Exactly how does that stop anything?" Maddie asked in slight exasperation. None of this was clicking with her even with her knowledge of the Ghost Zone. She was missing too many pieces of the puzzle.

The ghost turned away and began a light stride. "I understand your want for knowledge human, but some things are not meant to be understood and then somethings must be understood at the correct time. Come along now humans, I will bare further hospitality down below."

Maddie was of course agitated by the response as was Drew, but what else could she do? "Let's go Maddie. I don't see any way out from here."

She shook her head in her own disappointment. "I know, but it's just…" She let out a sigh in resignation as she followed the Saturday and ghost cat.

* * *

"So that's what happened." Danny ended as he let out a sigh. "This is way too much for me on my own guys."

"No worries dude, you know we have your back." Tucker comforted from the cell. "We've already started looking into that stuff your parents were working on."

Danny raised a brow. "Where's my dad?"

He heard a short silence on the other end before Tucker finally answered. "He said Vlad called him and he had to leave."

"Vlad? But he hates my dad." Danny commented as he scratched his head a bit.

"Yeah, but the power is still not back here. Those rolling black outs from before….. well they weren't blackouts planned by the city. A lot has been going on since early this morning dude."

Danny started to worry even more at the thought of having a problem on two fronts. "What's going on back there? It's not ghosts again is it?"

He heard a sigh on the other end. "We haven't seen any ghosts yet, but people are getting a little crazy around here with no power. I'm thinking Vlad called your dad to try and help fix the problem. Whether he hates him or not, he's the mayor and has to keep things under control."

Danny nodded in understanding. "I guess that makes sense. You did say my house was one of the only buildings still with power." He then took a seat on a bench in the back of the Specter Speeder where he retreated for his private call. "Please let me know if anything happens. I'm going to try and figure out a way into the Ghost Zone from here since I have the Speeder." He then heard the other line jostle a bit before a new voice came on the line.

"Be careful Danny." Jazz now had the phone and sounded more worried then Danny. "Get mom, and be sure to come back. We'll keep things together here." He then heard some talking in the back ground before Jazz spoke again. "We're getting a call to the lab….. los… conn…" He then heard the dial tone of the disconnected line.

"A call to the lab?..." After thinking about it, it came to him. "Oh right…. No power to the cell towers. Tucker must've been using the transmitter in the OPS center." He then closed his phone and stashed it back in his own pocket. The situation was quickly getting out of hand, and Danny had to keep calm if he was to do anything about it. "Alright…. No back up, how do I get to the Ghost Zone?" He raised a hand to his chin. "I guess I could fly the Speeder back and use the Fenton Portal but that would take hours. I need to quickest way…"

He then paused as he turned to the controls on the Speeder. "Maybe there's a portal here." Those wolf ghosts had to have come through a portal or something. Ghosts don't stick around unless they have a way into the Ghost Zone after all. Danny was interrupted from his thoughts by an alarm coming from one of the monitors. "Bingo." He stated as the ghost scanner found a location of high spectral energy. "This has to be where those ghost wolves are hiding." After getting a good idea of the specific location Danny quickly pulled a thermos from one of the equipment containers. As he started to exit the Specter Speeder he noticed Komodo was eyeing him suspiciously. The dragon had never liked him so Danny didn't think too much of it as he watched the cryptid crawl up the stairs. "Now, what am I going to do about the Saturday's?"

* * *

Doc approached the monitor and quickly dialed up Fenton Works. After a few moments someone finally picked up, but it wasn't Jack like he expected. "Hello, you've reached Fenton Works." A young red head exclaimed.

"Oh uh.."

"Your Danny's sister Jazz right?" Zak asked as he walked up behind his dad.

"That's me."

"Could you put Jack on the phone?"

Jazz seemed to think over something before shaking her head. "Uh no… he's not home right now."

Doc let out a sigh at the news. "Well there goes that idea." Doyle lamented with mild agitation. "Do you know when he's going to get back?" Doc tried with only minor hope that it would be soon.

"I really can't say. It was a bit last minute, and who knows how long it'll take to get the power back on."

Doc raised a brow. "A power outage?"

Jazz gave a nod. "Yeah, last night the whole area blacked out. My house is one of the few places that still have power. If you need my dad, it's probably going to be awhile."

Doc shook his head. "This can't wait awhile." He then stood up calmly. "Both Drew and Maddie were taken by a ghost into the Ghost Zone and we have no way of getting there to rescue them."

Jazz didn't seem too worried about it much to the surprise of the Saturdays. She then took a moment to think about the information while trying to look distressed. Danny told her about the kid and how he was… different. These people obviously don't care about that sort of thing. She then raised her brow as a thought hit her. "Well, if my dad isn't here to help you, then should probably ask Danny. I'm sure he's already working on it."

Zak raised a brow. "Working on what?"

She didn't get a chance to answer as someone off screen called to her. "Can't that wait a minute?" She then appeared frustrated and went to end the call. "Sorry Mr. Saturday, but I need to go now. I'll tell my dad you called though." She then turned it off before Doc could say anything else.

He gave a frustrated glance towards Doyle. "Well there goes that plan."

Doyle shrugged. "Yeah, but what about the kid?"

Zak crossed his arms. "I doubt it." Fiskerton growled out in protest at Zak's statement. The boy looked over to him in frustration. "Who's side are you on?" Zak shot back. Fiskerton seemed surprised by the question as he pat the boy's shoulder.

Doc then turned to his son. "I think he just wants you to calm down Zak. I know your powers frustrate you, and these past few months haven't been easy, but you can't take it out on someone else."

Zak gave it a moment of though before relenting. "Yeah… alright, you have a point." Fiskerton then gave a growl of approval before going back to his mysterious ball. Zak watched in mild curiosity as he spun it around in his hands.

"That leaves our current problem." Doc started as he turned to Ulraj. "Do you know anything more about…" He stopped when he realized the young king wasn't listening to him at all. Instead he seemed entranced by whatever Fisk was playing with.

"Ulraj…?" Zak asked as he waved a hand in front of the Kumari's face. He then turned to look at the ball too just in time for it to glow and transform. Instead of a ball, it now looked like a large intricate snowflake. Fiskerton marveled at the change as he held it in his hands.

"I cannot be…." The Kumari started as he approached.

Doc was now just as intrigued after watching the ball change. "What is that Fiskerton?" The Lemurian scratched his head and shrugged. (I don't know.)

Ulraj quickly reached for it. "Let me see that." He grabbed it before he got an answer and Fiskerton let out a mad growl. After a few seconds the boy's eyes widened. "It is! I can't believe it!"

Doyle traded glances around the room. "Okay I'll bite. What is it?"

Ulraj held it up to them. "This is a FarFrozen Ice Puzzle. I wasn't sure at first since I had never actually seen one, but this has to be one. My grandfather once told me of a strange puzzle made entirely of ice. Only a skilled crafter could make one and when you solve a layer of it, it changes its shape."

Zak took it from him and inspected it. "If it's made of ice, then why isn't it melding in here?"

Ulraj gave a knowing laugh. "They are not made of ordinary ice. They can remain frozen for centuries… or so I've been told. The FarFrozen use a special kind of ice in their crafts."

Doc then took it up next to inspect. "So this is from the FarFrozen?" He then turned to Fiskerton. "Where did you get this Fiskerton?" The Lemurian took a moment to think it over before pointing towards the bench next to Doyle. He walked over and gestured underneath it.

"It was just sitting under the table?" Zak asked in disbelief. Fiskerton nodded before gesturing towards the hall. (It rolled out next to me after Danny left.) "After Danny left….. wait…. You don't think..?" Zak started as he turned to the others.

"We can't really rule it out if none of us have ever seen it before miniman."

Doc then wore a serious expression as he walked over to the hall leading to the hanger. "I think we should probably talk to Danny about this."

Ulraj seemed very enthusiastic as he followed. "Yes, I'm very curious as to how he came across it."

Zak was the last to leave the lab with mild frustration. That kid bothered him, but he really couldn't understand why. He knew that he was being a little harsh earlier, but he still couldn't shake the weird feeling he now had. As he began to follow the video monitor behind him started to ring. He paused and turned to see who it was. "Dr. Cheechoo?" He strode over and answered the call.

The geo specialist seemed a little worse for wear as he answered. "I need you guys back here now!"

Zak raised his hands. "Calm down Dr. Cheechoo. What's going on?"

The man looked behind himself before turning back to answer. "A little while ago this weird fog blew through and ever since, the people of this village have been acting strange. About ten minutes ago several of them started fighting with my team and pushing us out of the village. We would really appreciate some back up!"

Zak gave a nod. "I'll let my dad know right away!" Zak comforted as he dashed down the stairs. When he joined the others he saw Danny zipping up his jacket and heading for the door with Doyle not far behind in full winter gear. Doc seemed to be getting himself together too as he pulled on his battle glove. "Hey dad!"

Doc waved him over. "Go ahead and get your stuff together. Danny thinks he found a way into the Ghost Zone nearby."

Zak seemed genuinely surprised by the news, but quickly pushed it aside in favor of the important message he'd received. "Dr. Cheechoo's got a problem in Pingano village. His team's barricaded themselves from the villagers."

Doc raised a brow and turned to Danny. "This might be a problem…."

Doyle crossed his arms. "Just one new problem after another." He grumbled a bit.

"The real problem is that it'll take at least an hour to get there on foot even if we hurry." Doc pointed out with worry.

"Can't we just move the air ship?" Zak asked.

"No. For one, there's ice built up on the solar cells. If another storm decided to blow through, we'd never be able to land. There's also the spectral interference Maddie mentioned. If all electronics are affected, we wouldn't know what would happen to the ship."

Danny thought for a moment before eyeing the Specter Speeder. "Well, maybe we can take another one." He suggested as he pointed to the craft. "The Speeder is equipped with an internal power source and is resistant to that interference." Fiskerton seemed over joyed at the idea as he dashed inside.

Zak seemed surprised at the Lemurian's agility before his dad tossed him his jacket. "We better get moving." They all quickly piled in after Danny with the last one being Ulraj. "Uh…. Your Majesty?" Doc questioned as he was about to shut the door.

The Kumari held himself confidently as he sat on one of the benches. "As if I'm going to miss out on something like this? Not to mention, this puzzle still fascinates me." He said as he lifted it up in his hand. "Speaking of which." He started as he turned towards the teen who was at the controls. "Where did you get this? The FarFrozen haven't been seen in centuries."

Danny gave a distracted pause as he answered. "Huh? I was wondering where that went. …. I got it from a friend of mine named Thuban. Tucker and Sam got one too." He then turned around. "Do you want it?"

Ulraj was surprised as he nodded. "Of course, anything made by the FarFrozen is considered a treasure to my people."

Danny gave a welcoming gesture. "Then you keep it. I've wasted way too much time trying to solve that thing anyway… your majesty."

The young Kumari stood to give his thanks. "Thank you very much, and you may call me Ulraj."

Danny turned back around and gave him a wave. "No problem."

"So… can you fly this thing?" Doyle inquired as he leaned over the driver's seat.

"Yeah, more or less. It's not the most complicated thing. Now the RV is a stick shift…." He lamented thinking back to how horribly he drove it the first time. He then pulled one of the levers on the dashboard causing the ship to start up. "Alright, here we go." The sound of seat belts clicking rang through as the Speeder slowly rose up off the ground. Once he saw the hanger door open he slowly flew the Speeder through and into the cold air of the wilderness.

* * *

 **Yup, that was pretty long huh? Anyway, so Maddie and Drew got nabbed, Ulraj showed up, and now Dr. Cheechoo needs rescuing. So many problems and so little time it seems. Hopefully they can clear a few of these out of the way and get back to the matter at hand huh?**

 **If you are curious about Ulraj, I really planned on him being in this from the beginning. I figured he would be a cool addition and that I can use him to introduce the FarFrozen so Danny wouldn't have to. It's a bit of creative commons on my part, but hopefully I made him work?**

 **Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed and will leave questions and responses in a review.=^-^=**


	7. Chapter 7 - Recovery

**A new chapter with stuff in it! Okay, maybe a bit vague... stuff you may not completely expect then? Yeah, there we go! Also, please read the A/N at the bottom!=^-^=**

 **Ch. 7 - Recovery**

* * *

They were well on their way to the village and with the speed Danny was going, they would arrive in less than 10 minutes. "So what was happening in the village?" Doc inquired to his son for a more specific situation.

Zak, who surprisingly enough sat in the front passenger seat, turned to him in response. "He didn't have a lot to go on, but he and his team barricaded themselves into their camp because the villagers started to attack them. It started after some strange fog blew through… something like that."

"Do you think those ghost wolves qualify?" Danny reasoned while he kept his eyes in the skies ahead.

Doc raised a hand to his chin. "That's probable. If they have anything to do with the superstitions of this area, they could've seen them as a sign of some kind."

"Yeah, don't talk to strangers." Doyle added with a laugh. "Didn't Drew say they only spoke Esperanto by that village?"

Doc gave a nod. "Yeah, but without Drew to act as a translator, we're going to have to settle for getting Paul and his team out before they get hurt."

"That means we're in a hurry right?" Zak asked as he turned to Danny. "Can this thing go any faster?"

Danny raised a brow as he reached for the accelerator. "Maybe a little bit." He pulled it down several levels and the Speeder jumped up in speed with a lit jolt. It only took a couple more minutes for a small column of smoke to be seen as the village came into view.

"There it is." Doc pointed out as he got out of his seat. "Try and get us as close as possible so we can get to them without the locals getting in the way."

Danny tried to follow through as he hovered just above the temporary shelter of the scientist's base. "You should find something to lower yourself in the second locker on the back wall." Danny suggested as Doc opened the side door.

"Good." He responded and quickly found his way to a rope ladder. He turned in time to hear a loud crash as whatever was keeping the villagers out of the base gave way.

"Not good!" Doyle shouted as he jumped down to the roof with Doc close behind. They made their way to the entrance where they jumped down to try and assist their friends as they were over run.

"Can you land this thing!?" Zak yelled in question to the halfa.

Danny turned to him with a brow raised. "If I do that, we'll be overrun too." He then stood up and locked the steering wheel. "But we can jump down to help."

"Would that really be wise?" Ulraj asked with hesitance in his voice. The idea of jumping into an angry mob was certainly not the most appealing thing.

Danny pointed to the controls. "Not if someone doesn't stay to watch the controls." He then jumped down the short distance from the Speeder to the roof of the small complex followed by Zak and Fiskerton. Ulraj let out a breath of relief as he sat back down on the bench.

Down on the ground Doc and Doyle had a large portion of the mob held off as they blocked the corner with Dr. Cheechoo and his 2 remaining team mates. "It would certainly help to know why they're so mad of a sudden. When we came here yesterday they were more than welcoming as long as we didn't talk to them." Doc turned a bit to see his fellow scientist. "Are you sure you didn't provoke them?"

Paul shook his head. "We were just finishing our latest scan of the catacombs when one of my guys ran in saying the villagers had gone crazy. I had only been inside for 5 minutes before that. I have no idea why they're acting like this only that they started getting uneasy after the fog."

" _They will punish us if we do not purge them from our home!"_ On the men shouted as he raised up a long knife. " _The guardians have given their warning! These strangers must be taught a lesson!"_

Danny leaned over the roof edge along with Zak and Fisk. "So…. Any ideas?" The young Saturday inquired. Fiskerton gave it a moment's thought before responding with a fist raised. (We jump in!) "That's just what I was thinking." Zak shot back as he whipped out the claw and prepared to jump along with Fiskerton.

"Hold on!" Danny's plea was ignored as the boys dove into the fray, disrupting the middle of the mob.

" _Do you see!? More of them come! We must get them out of the village!"_ One man shouted.

" _We should have never allowed them to stay!"_ Another added in.

As they charged Zak and Fisk, the boys pushed back in their standard style. Fisk grabbed the boy's claw and swung him around while Zak started to use their faces as stepping stones. "Oh yeah!" Fisk joined him in a triumphant growl as he pulled him back to his side.

 _"You must leave!"_ Was shouted by a woman and it was quickly taken up as a chant by the mob as a whole.

"What the heck are they shouting about?" Doyle asked as he knocked down a few charging villagers.

"I haven't a clue, but I doubt its good."

"They want us to leave." They heard from above before a metal panel on the roof was removed to reveal Danny. He rolled down the ladder and prepared to climb down. Just as h as he placed one foot on the ladder a chorus of howls rang through like a siren.

The villagers immediately started to panic and shout amongst themselves. " _The guardians are coming!"_

" _We're too late!"_

Danny slid down all the way as he watched the crowd lose their mob mentality in favor of retreating back into the village and their homes. Danny could feel his ghost sense going crazy as he felt the approach of the spectral hounds. "This can't be good…." He grumbled. The 3 of them left the safety of the building to look around and saw several of the ghosts already on perimeter.

Villagers dropped their weapons before them and raised their arms in surrender. " _Humans! How dare you disrespect our land!"_ The lead wolf was approaching one young man before he noticed the intruders to the village. He quickly turned his anger towards them. " _So it is you then! I spared you before, but I shall not spare you again!"_ He quickly dashed towards Doc with his fangs bared.

" _Wait!"_ Danny shouted as he blocked the ghost's way.

"Danny, get back!" Doc implored but Danny wouldn't budge. He was just about to reflexively blast the ghost before someone else beat him to it.

The ghost wolf was blasted back several meters. "Danny… is this thing supposed to do that?" Ulraj questioned through the speakers of the Speeder.

Danny turned with relief as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ulraj! There should be a red flashing light above you! Press the button next to it!" The Kumari easily found it and upon pressing the button, a beam of green energy shot out of the top. It formed a dome that encased the building below along with Danny and the Saturdays.

Zak and Fisk rushed over from the new opening in the crowd. "What's going on? What is this thing?"

"Ghost Shield." Danny responded as he pointed to the wolves. "They can't get in, but it'll only hold for about 15 minutes."

"Then we need to get everyone out of here before then." Doc deduced as he turned back to the science base. "Paul, get your team together! We need to get moving."

Danny held his position just inside the barrier as he watched the Alpha wolf rise to all four paws. " _Half Breed! Why do you stand in our way!?"_ Danny raised a brow as the ghost made a slow approach. " _This is our domain! We will not stand for your interference!"_ He then began to howl just outside the barrier and his pack followed suit where ever they were at the time. As the harmony of each howl began to match, the ground started to shake and grew rougher as the howls grew louder.

"What's going on!?" Doc yelled as he climbed up the ladder just behind Dr. Cheechoo.

Once he was up he saw Doyle banging on the wall. "Damn piece of junk!" He then turned to his brother in law. "It's over loading from whatever these stupid mutts are doing! If they don't knock it off, this shield is as good as gone."

Danny was watching the effects from the ground as the neon green barrier began to short with jolts of misplaced electricity. He turned to Zak and Fisk as he started to run. "Come on guys, we gotta get back to the ship before the shield fails completely!"

The two started to follow the halfa's lead before Zak stopped short. Fisk noticed immediately and tried to pull him along. (Come on!) "Hold on…" The boy requested before turning back to the barrier. The wolves howl started to fade and as the barrier seemed to stabilize, a new presence could be felt all around.

Each of the ghost wolves raised their ears in alert before turning to the Alpha's command. " _Retreat!"_ The pack faded into smoke and disappeared into the tree line seconds later. Fiskerton raised his arms in a cheer. "Hold on Fisk." Zak warned while keeping his eyes on the tree line. He raised his claw and it assumed an orange glow that matched the boy's eyes.

Doc watched from on board the Speeder as Zak seemed to start approaching the forest. "Zak?" He saw Fiskerton try and stop him but the boy dashed around him and charged for the tree line. "Zak!" He yelled out the door in vain as the boy continued on with Fiskerton just behind. "Damn it!" He cursed as he made his way over to the pilot's seat. He paused a moment before taking another look outside. "Where's Danny?"

Doyle looked over his shoulder at the teen's shadow entering the tree line as well. "Looks like he's not waiting up."

Doc rolled his eyes. "Looks like. I'm starting to think he has more in common with Zak then either of them would care to acknowledge." He then thought back to when he had first spotted Danny in the hanger before they left. He already looked like he had a plan in mind whether or not anyone else was game. He even seemed annoyed when he had mentioned going together, but he shrugged that off to the tenseness of the moment. Maybe though….. he should have thought more into it.

* * *

Zak ran through the forest with his claw held out as if it was leading him on his way. "Where are you?" He mumbled to himself as his eyes, aglow with an orange light, desperately sought out the Cryptid which had somehow sent those ghosts running. He could hear Fiskerton just behind while shouting at him to stop, but he wasn't about to listen. He had to start doing things himself, without help. This time that other kid wasn't going to show him up. He's done things like this all his life and Danny? Just a cocky teenager who thinks he's better cause he's older. That was only part of it though, the other part was how much his family tended to get attacked because of him. That incident in New York was enough evidence of that along with the attack that morning.

When he finally found his way out of his own thoughts, he saw a clearing just ahead. He broke through the trees to find himself on a large stone circle which seemed to be somewhat like old cobblestone. There were several tall stones around it with unfamiliar inscriptions and symbols. (Gotcha!) Fisk growled as he jumped to the clearing as well and grabbed the boy by his shoulder. He quickly realized they weren't alone as the low growl started from all directions. Zak seemed to be slightly regretting his decision to go off on his own as both he and Fisk stood together under the menacing sound. "Okay… really wishing I didn't just stupidly run off on my own." (uh-huh! Stupid!) Fisk chided with a whimper.

Growls sounded close and moving closer as Zak readied for the impending attack. The animalistic warning then suddenly stopped followed by Zak being grabbed from behind. The 2 boys jumped in surprise and arms flailing to see Danny just behind them. Zak held his chest in relief, a gesture that was mimicked by Fisk. "Oh man…. Don't sneak up on us like that."

Danny didn't seem too happy but not really angry either as he apologized. "Sorry, but just trying to catch up with you was hard. I wasn't trying to scare you though." He then looked around. "Why'd you run all the way out here?"

Zak turned back around. "I was chasing after a Cryptid…. But I guess it was a stupid idea…" He relented as he remembered his earlier regret. Fiskerton agreed as he nodded his head. "I guess you were right and I just proved it."

Danny raised a brow. "You mean about the snow storm thing? Yeah, I know I was right….. but I was kind of a jerk about it." Danny relented back. "I was stressed from the situation and took it out on you after you blew up at me. I shouldn't have shouted back either. You had every right to be mad."

Zak shook his head. "No, this is totally my fault. I'm sorry for being a jerk."

"But I was a jerk first." Danny pointed out.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't blown up at you, you wouldn't have shouted at your mom. And then, I thought you didn't care when she was taken because of how calm you were."

Danny gave a shrug. "Yeah, but my mom is armed to the teeth against ghosts at all times. In most cases I pity the ghost who'd get on her bad side." He then raised his hand to the back of his neck. "So how about you accept my apology and I accept yours. We really didn't get off on the right foot…."

Zak seemed to ponder it a moment as Danny outstretched his hand. "Deal." He said as he slapped his hand in a friendly manner. Danny then froze as he felt the eerie condensation flow out of his mouth. The cold air seemed to mask it from Zak, but his sudden change of mood was obvious. "Uh… Danny?"

Danny turned around while keeping alert. "We should head back now."

Zak traded a glance with Fisk. "Yeah…." They didn't go more than a few steps before a glowing pair of yellow eyes became obvious in their path. "Or not…." They began to back up slowly before they heard a growl from behind. Fiskerton jumped when he turned to see the looming shadow closing in from behind. (Another one!)

"Perfect…." Danny grumbled.

" _Outsiders….."_ The beast before them growled out.

Danny was just able to make it out when it leaped towards them. Fiskerton was able to pull both boys out of the way in time, but now both creatures stood together. Once they were able to reassess the situation they realized they could make out more of their enemies. "Wulf?" Danny questioned in mild curiosity.

"Or wolves!" Zak pointed out. The jet black, bipedal beasts stood together like hunters against their prey. Danny's initial mix up was corrected when he got a better look at the clothes they were wearing; basic and conservative in comparison to Wulf's neon green sweats. Fiskerton let out a fierce growl and raised his fists. (Go away!) "Uh Fisk….. I doubt that's going to do anything to scare them away." Zak commented as he wore a slightly pumped expression. "But getting attacked by werewolves is pretty awesome."

"Uh serious please." Danny pleaded as he stood ready to fend off attack. "Mauled by a werewolves is not something I think would be a pleasant experience."

They both raised their claws in attack prompting a similar response in the boys. Zak took a look back to Fisk before holding out his claw. "Fisk! Hammer throw!" The Lemurian complied by grabbing the weapon and swinging the boy with his primate might. After both creatures dodged, Zak was able to blindside one of them with a kick, but it didn't seem to do much at all but make them angry. Now separated from Danny and Fisk, Zak raised up his claw and extended it. "Bring it on!" One of them complied and began taking several swipes at him with his claws while the boy barely managed to parry with his Claw.

The other leaped at Danny but soon found itself wrestling with Fisk instead as he jumped in the way. Danny quickly saw he was not going to be much help without his powers since he only had a thermos on him and found himself debating over whether it was worth it. His debate with himself was ended abruptly as Zak fell back over an uneven stone and the werewolf took its opportunity. Zak could only raise up his Claw to protect himself from his poorly defended state. Before the vicious claw came down though, the beast howled in pain and leaped away to reveal Danny with his palm smoking. He then turned and blasted at the other in much the same way and it repeated its comrade's reaction. (Say what….?) Zak couldn't agree more as he gaped in surprise.

The older teen quickly closed in on his young friend and glared down the beasts who now kept their distance. He blasted one more shot in warning which landed right in front of them. "Back off!" They cut their gazes with disgruntled growls before retreating deeper into the forest. Once they were out of sight, he let out a breath of relief before reaching a hand out to Zak in assistance.

"Uh thanks…" The boy said with hesitance. "But uh…. What was that?" (You can shoot lasers!?) Fiskerton growled which gesturing to his hands.

Danny let out an exasperated groan at the question. "Kind of….." He then started to nervously rub at his neck as he turned back to Zak. "Let's just say you and I have a lot more in common than scientist parents, just keep this between us though." He then turned his sight over to a glowing spot on the stone circle. It was relatively close to where he hit with his third blast. "What the heck?" The three of them approached it in curiosity.

Fiskerton looked down over it and rubbed his chin. (…. Its pretty….) Zak crouched down. "It kinda looks like that weird gem Ulraj had." The green gemstone sat embedded in the rocks as it glowed warmly. "But this one's glowing."

No more than a few seconds later, Danny felt his ghost sense go off and he pulled the boy away. "Hold up guys." A familiar screech was heard as two formless specters appeared and merged to create a new portal.

* * *

The two female scientists had spent almost an hour with their spectral host, though they still didn't have many answers. Gaia had left them alone for most of the time before finally returning only a few minutes prior. The silence that now held in the room was tense and eventually broken by Maddie. "Just how long are we going to be stuck here?"

Gaia turned to look at something, but it was as if only she could see it. "It shouldn't be too much longer humans." She then turned back. "I hope my hospitality was acceptable?" She asked while gesturing to the beverages on a small table. "I apologize, I do not host company often."

"It's fine." Drew comforted with a question at the back of her mind.

Gaia raised a brow. "Thank you human. By the way…. Do you have a question of me?" She couldn't help but notice the lackluster tone of the response.

Drew threaded her fingers through some her hair as she started. "Well, it's just been bothering me. While all of this," She gestured around herself. "Is pretty overwhelming, I can't stop going back to what you said to those other ghosts." Maddie raised a brow at that as she thought back herself. "You said something about a crown being affected if one of us got hurt…. How exactly do we tie into this problem and that crown you mentioned?"

Maddie then added in her own question. "And exactly what was that portal reaching out for?"

Gaia gave a knowing smile as she wore a smirk. "Truly exceptional humans. So very curious and unafraid." She laughed at her own musings. "I wonder?" She started again and gave her guests a questioning look. "Something I found out after many centuries was how much humans love to keep secrets. Sometimes they were small, and sometimes they were quite big. Children especially, love to keep them. It's as if it comes with some sort of special entitlement or maybe it's just the idea of knowing something no one else does." She then stood up and turned to her right. "Or perhaps it isn't so small as that? Maybe they are ashamed? Jealous? Afraid?" She finished as she shot a side glance to the ghost hunter. "But for whatever reason, humans just can't seem to stop themselves. Regardless, it seems your portal home is now here." She informed as said portal swirled into existence beside her. "You'd best hurry before your families grow more worried for your safety."

* * *

The two boys stepped further back as the portal seemed to stir and two forms could be seen. Fisk stood nervously behind Zak as he looked wide eyed at the mysterious phenomenon. Danny was the first to recognize them as he dashed over to his mom. "Mom!"

Zak's brows raised as he quickly recognized his own mom next to her. "Your back!" Fisk joined him in hugging her. "Oh man I missed you mom!" (Me too!) The Lemurian added in as he almost broke out in tears.

"Calm down boys, really." She tried to pretend not to be just as relieved, but she wasn't very effective.

Maddie hugged her son while looking around in worry. "Where exactly are we?"

"We're in the forest by that hunting village." Zak informed. He then turned to his own mom. "You won't believe all the stuff that's happened!"

"Well we have our fair share of things to tell you too." Drew shot back as she pat the boy's head.

"Definitely." Maddie agreed. "I have to say, I have a whole new view of the Ghost Zone. To think there is any form of hierarchy among them." Danny had a feeling of dread at the back of his mind about that. Of course, how was he supposed to know how completely justified that feeling was?

* * *

 **So thus ends another chapter with a bit of foreshadowing. Maddie and Drew are back, and Danny and Zak seem to have finally started to see eye to eye... maybe...** **Anyway, neither of those ghosts were Wulf, but they do have a relation to him which will be touched on later.**

 **IMPORTANT! - Due to a slight rewrite, I will not be posting a chapter next Saturday. Sorry but I need to work the kinks out of the next few chapters. I will post again on the Saturday after the next so... Oct 3.. I think... Anyway, so look forward to that! Please review if you liked it and you can also ask any questions you may have in a review.=^-^=**


	8. Chapter 8 - Secret

**Okay, so I'm finally posting again for all you wonderful readers who waited an extra week! This is sure to be exciting, but hopefully not too predictable? Anyway, I say more at the bottom so enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 8 - Secret**

* * *

After the mob, wolves and Zak running off, it was safe to say, seeing his son return with both Drew and Maddie was more than a relief. Something good had finally happened after one bad turn after another. The group, including Cheechoo and his researchers, were now back at the airship trading interesting information. "You should have seen them, they were awesome!" Zak insisted with enthusiasm. Fiskerton gave a nod before shivering at the memory. (And scary.) Zak nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that too, but they ran with their tails between their legs when-"

"That portal appeared out of nowhere." Danny interrupted. "Just like the giant sea serpent before." He gave the Zak a side glance which Zak eventually answered with a hesitant nod.

"Yeah, they must not like them." Zak, though unsure of why, got the message and nudged Fisk to agree.

"Werewolves? Really?" Doc asked his son in obvious disbelief. "Are you sure they weren't Amaroks? Or something, I don't know, real?"

Zak turned to Fiskerton who gave him a supportive growl. "No dad, they weren't any Cryptid I've ever seen. What else to you call a creature that looks like a wolf but walks on two legs, and they were wearing clothes."

"And can speak Esperanto." Danny added in as he kept his attention on his phone.

"Yeah and can speak…." He paused before turning to Danny. "Wait what?"

Danny promptly put away his phone and explained. "You didn't hear them? They called us ' _eksteruloj'_ which means 'outsiders' in Esperanto."

Zak crossed his arms. "Wait... you know Esperanto?"

Danny responded with distracted nod. "Comes in handy."

Drew's eyes widened. "So they speak Esperanto too?" She paused for a moment of thought. " Just like those ghost wolves. This could help to explain why Esperanto is used in this area. If a new Cryptid migrated here, then they could have influenced the spoken language."

"But a Cryptid werewolf? That sounds more like a cheesy monster movie." Doc reasoned out with his classic skepticism.

Doyle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be sure to let the ghost wolves and the giant sea serpent parked out back know their existence is cheesy." He got an easy laugh out of Zak and Fisk while Danny wore an appreciative grin.

"I still haven't completely bought into the whole ghost thing either!" He shot back before crossing his arms. "And besides, the big problem here is what to do about the other Secret Scientists. We still don't have any idea what happened to them. That piled on why we came here in the first place equals first priority." Drew couldn't help but be slightly amused by the man. Maddie, however, seemed more distracted by her son. It's not as if he'd never experienced danger before, but he seemed so… adjusted to it. Had Amity Park really become so wild? The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. Did she really know her son like she thought she did?

"If I could interject as well? There is still the matter of my city's serpent refusing to leave." The young king added in. He was all for adventure but this could pose a very real problem if left unchecked.

Drew let out a sigh as she nodded. "Yes and with Zak's powers as they are now, I don't know what we can do about it." The preteen in question slumped in his seat. Another reminder of how his powers messed him up was doing nothing to up his mood. Danny eyed him with a brow raised before turning back to his phone. The signal on it, which was supposed to be boosted by the airship's communications dish, had been cutting out for the past few minutes making it hard to keep in touch with Sam and Tuck in Amity Park. The lights dimmed slightly which caught the attention of all in the room.

"What's up?" Zak asked as he turned to his dad.

"I don't know. We should still have plenty of power even with the storm and cloud cover of the past day." Doc turned to leave the room. "I'm going to go check on the power reserves. Maybe the storm damaged something."

"Need a hand?" Dr. Cheechoo offered as he followed Doc out to the hall.

"There is a possibility that all this ghost activity is finally starting to effect more than just communications." Maddie pointed out as she headed over to one of the lab monitors. "Do you have a reference map of your power grid in here?" She asked Drew who stood to assist her.

As the conversations seemed to split off Zak took his chance to try and get something out of Danny. Unfortunately, Danny had already started off down another hall. "Where's he going?"

"Said he was going to grab something out of one of his bags." Doyle informed as he sat down with a bag of chips. Fiskerton eagerly gestured for one as soon as he laid eyes on the bag. "He'll be right back mini-man."

The boy slumped back and let out a breath. "Of course…" He then took up watching his mom and work since he really didn't have anything better to do.

Maddie pointed towards a section of wiring near the top of the ship. "I bet if it is spectral interference, its starting here. The high traffic electrical currents would make it more susceptible then most of these other areas lower in the ship." She suggested as she expressed her opinion by showing Drew on the map.

"Is there a way to track where the energy goes from on circuit to the next?" Drew asked as she followed the map with her eyes. "That section is right under the solar cells. If we lose power from there, we should know what will be effected first."

Maddie gave a nod. "Of course. I can also pull a few of the interference diffusers from the Speeder. I always keep extras just in case. Even if it's not spectral interference now, we can go ahead and prevent it from happening."

Drew agreed with a nod. "That's probably a good idea. I'm sure Doc would agree that it's better to be safe than sorry even if it's about ghosts." She explained with a tease in her voice.

Maddie seemed to stifle a small laugh as she headed out of the lab and towards the room she and Danny were staying in. "I can't believe all that's happened today." She stated aloud to herself. The events played through her mind. They fought with the Secret Scientists, met an undersea civilization, got kidnapped by a monstrous ghost, rescued by a ghost cat, and found themselves back home just in time to ward off werewolf cryptids who were attacking the kids. She gave a slightly exhausted laugh just listing it off in her head. She was just about to open the door to the room when she heard talking from inside. It only took her a moment to realize it was Danny which made her almost open the door before stopping just short of the button. Eavesdropping was wrong…. She knew that, but….. She pressed her ear to the door to listen when her curiosity got the better of her.

"and now I don't know what to do. Zak and Fiskerton flat out saw me use my powers, and even though I was able to cover up the werewolf fighting thing, I really don't know what to say to them." What is he talking about? Powers? He used them on the werewolf cryptids? "Tell them? Are you kidding? No way. The last thing I need is for Secret Scientists to be after me too. No, that list is long enough thank you." Maddie's brow furrowed further. What in the world is he talking about? Why would the Secret Scientists come after him….. is it about this power he mentioned? "Yeah Jazz, last night was a super leap forward for how mom views Phantom. That isn't something I want to risk. Obviously, their secret got out somehow and I don't need that happening to me."

It was at that Maddie's eyes widened. A secret…..? She could hear the ghost cat's words echo in her mind. " _Children especially love to keep secrets…."_ Danny was keeping something a secret, that was quite clear… but what? She took a breath and stood up straight. Though she felt that meddling in her son's business was not the best way to help build their relationship back up, she did know one thing; if it's dangerous enough to get him chased after, then she needed to do something about it. She promptly opened the door with a casual air.

Danny noticed immediately and proceeded to greet her. "Oh… Hey mom, I was just talking to Jazz... you want to say hi?"

She took the phone happily from the slightly nervous teen. "Hey Jazz, how are things back home?"

"Everything's pretty good here. A lot of the power is back on though Dad isn't home yet."

Maddie raised a brow. "Oh well, be sure to let him know we're okay over here too when he get's home."

"No problem mom."

Maddie then took notice of Danny stepping back towards the door and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "I'm sorry Jazz but I…." She trailed off when she realized the line had disconnected. "Hmm?" She inspected the phone and saw there were no signal bars. "Must be more interference." She then turned her gaze back to Danny who seemed more interested in getting out of the room than getting his phone back. "Just hold on Danny."

He turned around rather nervously. "What's up mom?" He asked as confidently as he could.

Her expression became serious as she crossed her arms. "We need to talk Danny and you know what I mean."

Danny's panic started to become more obvious as he stuttered to respond. "W-what do you mean?"

Maddie shook her head with a sigh, knowing this was how he'd respond. "Look Danny, I know you've been hiding something from me, and teenagers will do that. It's a natural part of growing up and becoming independent, but you should also know when to rely on others." She kneeled down on one knee and looked up at him. "I'm your mother Danny. If you have a problem, I want to help, but I can't if you don't tell me."

Danny could feel himself in a corner now. How could she know? How long had she known? How much did she actually know? He rubbed his neck nervously which Maddie scrutinized a moment. That was a common gesture he did when he was nervous, but….. something else was nagging her in the back of mind about it. As she waited for Danny to say something back she felt him shiver and saw his breath form condensation. She immediately stood up. "Danny?" He was now on alert for some reason. "What was that Danny? Are you cold?" She asked as she held her hand on his forehead. "You went out in that storm yesterday. Are you feeling alright?" Her worry was only growing with his new behavior….. wait, not new….. He did this on the Speeder before that ghost jumped from under his seat….. and back before that pack of ghost wolves attacked….. The trend wasn't hard to see when she put them together. She reached one hand into her pocket and pulled out her hand held ghost scanner.

Danny grew visibly more nervous at the action as he tried to pull away. "Uh mom….."

"What's wrong Danny?" She asked in a more pleading tone as she held tight to his shoulder.

He tried to pull her hand away but Maddie wouldn't let go. "Mom please just-" He looked from her hand back to her face to see her eyes frozen on the screen of her scanner. Dread swept over him like an all-consuming wave and he let go of her hand. "Mom I…." He trailed off and turned his head away.

Maddie still couldn't believe what she was seeing. The scanner had always gone off when Danny was around, but lots of their inventions misfired too. They had to adjust the settings to keep them from accidently going off on him after a few too many mishaps. The thing that had her so confused and awestruck was that the ecto-signature being shown was the same one she got from Phantom the night before. "Danny…" He raised his hand back to his neck and that's when she finally put them together. That gesture which Danny had been doing for years….. Phantom did it last night. He looked just like Danny when he got nervous…. Just like him….. And suddenly everything made sense. Why their inventions went off on Danny, why Jazz was so pro-Phantom, why Phantom was able to evade their sensors all the time.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn't even realized she'd let go of his shoulder. "Mom…?"

She looked over to him with a confused and worried expression. "Please Danny…. Please tell me you're not…"

That was all he needed to hear to understand that she'd figured it out. He knew better than to try and deny it at this point. His mom was a genius, and how he'd kept it secret for so long is a miracle in itself. Here it was, the moment of truth. "I'm sorry mom…" He started and then let out a breath. He then paused a moment before looking her straight in the eye, fully confident in his decision. "But I am." He finished as the white ring flashed around his waist. It separated and enveloped him leaving Phantom in its wake. Maddie was more than speechless from the presentation. It was as if the information just couldn't be processed in her brain at the moment. She found herself taking a step forward, but she wasn't sure why. All Danny could see was an almost blank confusion as he instinctively backed up from her approach. It was slightly unnerving and he couldn't really tell what it meant. "Wait!" He pleaded with a hand to block her path. "Please, I know it was wrong to keep this from you, but I'm still me mom. I'm still Danny…. I'm not-" He was cut off when his mom pulled him into a hug.

"It's alright Danny." She comforted. She held him tight and pushed his head onto her shoulder.

"Mom?" He really didn't know what to do now. She accepted him?... right? He remained quiet for a moment before he heard a sob. He lifted his head away to see his mom crying over him.

"Oh Danny….. I'm such a horrible mother! I didn't see what was happening to you all this time. I-I hunted you…" It only made sense for him to hide this from her. She and Jack went after ghosts with every intention of destroying them or dissecting them. He must've been terrified! No child should ever be afraid of their own parents….

"It's alright mom.."

"No its not." She corrected as she held tight to his shoulders and held him slightly away. "It's not alright Danny. You shouldn't have to be afraid of your own parents….. scared in your own house." She felt so much shame in her words. She had no right to even think about an apology.

"But I'm not." Danny informed as his face formed a small smile. "I'm not going to lie and say I was never scared or thought about that, but at the end of the day you guys are my parents. I knew you would never knowingly experiment on me or anything…. Despite my own paranoia at times…" He added in sheepishly as he thought back to his apprehension of moments ago. He then pulled away from her grip and hugged her. "I love you mom."

Maddie couldn't stop herself from hugging him back despite her guilt. "You don't know what that means to me." She then let him go and stood. "But that still doesn't make it right…" She stated in a regretful tone. "Even if we didn't know, we should have. I should have noticed."

"And I shouldn't have kept it from you…" Danny countered. "It kinda goes back to earlier when I argued with Zak. It was stupid of me to fight with him, but I….. I guess I was pretty jealous of him. He had powers and his parents supported him in everything." He brushed his fingers through his hair. "And then I yelled at you….. That was so stupid." He stated in self-reprimand.

She pat his shoulder. "I knew you weren't mad at me Danny. You were both a bit hot headed."

"So uh…." Danny started with hesitance. "I'm not in trouble….?"

Maddie was surprised at her son once again for that particular question. She just couldn't help but crack a smile. "No Danny, you're not in trouble. I can't blame you for keeping this a secret considering how your father and I expressed our views of ghosts."

Danny let out a breath of relief. "Oh man….. One less thing to worry about."

Maddie took him in a hug again. "I am proud of you, and I'm sure your father will be too when we tell him."

Danny froze at that. "Uh….."

"We are going to tell him." Maddie reaffirmed. "He's your father and I think he deserves to know." She wore a stern expression and Danny's pleading would never sway her now.

"Alr-" He was cut off by his ghost sense again.

Maddie felt him shiver and inquired what it was. "That again?"

Danny pushed away a bit and she let him go. "Yeah, there must be a ghost still nearby…." He trailed off when he saw the confused look on his mother's face. "Uh…. That was my ghost sense mom. It happens when ever a ghost I'm not aware of is nearby."

She seemed genuinely fascinated as her own scanning device went off in her hand. "Well, isn't that an interesting ability."

Danny shrugged as he floated up and looked around. "It definitely comes in handy…. This way."

"Hold on a sec Danny." His mother requested as she pulled a Fenton Bazooka from a long case.

* * *

Several of the Saturdays, who had remained in the lab, now stared off into the snow outside which was not devoid of movement. Komodo, who had seen the return of the ghost wolves first, dragged them into the hanger to show them. "Looks like they want a second try at tearing us to shreds." Doyle noted with unhindered curiosity.

"Then why don't they attack already? I mean, they've just been standing there for like… 5 minutes." Zak countered in slight frustration. (I don't want them to attack!) Fiskerton pleaded as he remained glued to the window. "Well neither do I. I was just pointing it out."

"Doc and Paul should be here in a minute." Drew informed as she rejoined them in the hanger. "We should be ready for a fight."

Doyle turned to her. "Okay, so where's the Ghost Hunter?"

Drew crossed her arms. "She went to get some special parts to block out ghost interference, but it has been a bit longer than you'd think it take to get them. I wouldn't worry though, chances are she already knows they're here."

* * *

"Come on Danny! Leave some for me!" Maddie pleaded as her son sucked another of the ghost wolves into his Fenton Thermos.

He smirked as he placed the cap back on top. "Sorry mom, but getting them together as fast as possible is for the best. These guys can spirit you away remember?"

Maddie gave an understanding nod as she caught up with him. "I know." She then wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "And I'm nothing but proud at how good you are at this." She then smirked back at him. "But you could still leave me one or two. I haven't gotten even one while you have more than ten in that thermos." She pointed out in a tease.

He phased through her hold as another breath of condensation appeared. "Maybe if you picked up the pace….."

Maddie's expression went serious at that. "Oh!? Is that a challenge?" She then took a head start by dashing past her son. "Then game on Danny!"

* * *

Back outside Zak and the others had left to confront the ghosts which surrounded them. Drew led the way while keeping her sword sheathed to seem nonthreatening. " _Please, why have you come after us?_ " She asked in reason while several of the wolves growled on approach.

The leader let out a bark to hush his pack before glaring at the women. " _You humans! You have caused much trouble here! You must leave!"_

Drew gave a nod and held up her hands in a nonthreatening manner. " _We apologize for causing trouble and we would be happy to leave, but we cannot without the humans you took before."_

The leader growled at her. " _No! They were warned! They must suffer punishment, as will the half breed once my pack has claimed him!"_

Drew raised a questioning brow at that. While most of it was easy to understand, one word in particular was foreign to her despite her fluency in Esperanto. " _Half breed?"_

Several of the other ghosts barked and growled at the mention. " _Yes and he has made the greatest of transgressions! He has caused harm to members of the Lyca! This cannot go unpunished!"_ He then howled which fired up the other wolves as they joined in. Everyone started to cover their ears from the sheer volume.

"Hey mom! What happened!?" Zak yelled over them.

Drew shook her head. "I'm not sure, but someone made them very mad. I'm not sure who they want though since the word is strange to me." Fiskerton backed up from the group as he held his ears but ran smack into Doc as he and Dr. Cheechoo came out.

"What's going on!?" Doc yelled in question.

Paul seemed shaky as he looked around. "This is what they did in the village!"

"Yeah, but why here!?" Doyle asked as he turned to his sister. "Couldn't we give them some dog biscuits or something?"

"Somehow I doubt that would appease them!" Drew yelled back over the loud howl.

"Then who else thinks we should kennel 'em?" Doyle suggested as the other Saturday's took attack stances.

Doc tightened his battle glove. "Now that's a good idea."

Drew stood at the forefront with her sword out in defense. "Be careful though, if they surround you they can spirit you away like the others!"

The wolf leader narrowed his gaze at the humans. _"So you choose to fight? Then you shall be punished as well!"_ He let out a growl causing a couple of his pack to charge in and attack. After several failed attempts to counter them, the Saturdays found themselves surrounded.

"This isn't working out like I'd planned it." Doyle relented.

"Yeah, but everything we try just passes right through them."

"Remember what Maddie said? Ghosts can change their molecular density at will." Doc noted in frustration.

"Is that belief I hear?" Drew teased from beside him.

"If seeing is believing." He grumbled back.

One of the wolves then jumped at them for another attack, but was thwarted by a green beam of energy. The Saturdays watched as the ghost was forcibly sucked into a mini ghost portal along with one of the ghosts beside it. "Finally!" Maddie shouted from the top of the air ship. "That's two for me!"

The leader was outraged as he looked up to the women. " _What have you done to my brothers!?_ "

"Well those two got a one way ticket to the Ghost Zone, but the other ones? Let's just say they went out to lunch." Danny quipped as he phased up through the snowy ground. "Don't worry though, you're invited too!" He then blasted at the wolf with his ghost ray. The wolf jumped back to dodge and held his ground with the others who had regrouped around him.

"Whoa… Is that who I think it is!?" Zak asked in bewilderment.

Doyle nodded his head. "It's either him or I'm seeing things again." Both of them looked confused and excited at the prospect.

"Just who is that?" Doc inquired with an unamused brow.

Zak's jaw dropped at the question. "Uh that's Danny Phantom! Coolest super hero ever!" Fisk gave an excited nod as he emphasized Zak's words.

"I guess he's not some tourist trap scam." Doyle added in with his arms crossed.

Drew listened to the conversation intently as he watched the young ghost float between them and the wolves. "Okay, but what is he doing here?"

No one had much of an answer for her considering ghosts were still new, but Zak wasn't about to question it. "Who cares!? He's gonna kick ghost wolf butt!" (Yeah!) Fiskerton added in cheer with his fist raised.

" _So you have come out on your own? Where are my brothers!? They went in after you!"_

Danny raised a whimsical brow. " _Yeah them….. like I said, they went out to lunch."_ He then pulled the thermos from the strap on his back. " _Want 'em back?"_ The leader simply growled at his stupid question. " _Good, then how about a trade? You bring back those humans you took, and I let your buddies go…. And leave us alone."_

None of the wolves seemed to enjoy the deal as they growled their discontent. " _You cannot reason with us half breed! You have caused trouble and must be punished!"_

Danny furrowed his brow. " _I haven't done anything to you! I stood down before and was only protecting the others back in the village."_

The leader narrowed his eyes. " _And attacked the Lyca! You trespassed on their land and attacked them! They were even so kind as to call us back from attacking the humans!"_

Danny seemed confused for a moment before thinking back. " _You mean the werewolf things? They attacked us first! If I hadn't attacked them, they would have turned that kid into chopped steak!"_

He heard the wolf grunt as he stepped forward. " _No excuses half breed! You shall be punished!"_ All the wolves attacked as if on que and dog piled Danny on the spot.

Maddie went into over drive as she fired one shot after another sending many of the ghosts back to the zone. By the time the ghosts had cleared, however, Danny was nowhere to be seen much to Maddie's surprise. "Danny?" She questioned aloud though only she could hear. She then noticed the sea serpent from the water was rising back up in all the commotion. It let out a roar at the ghosts as it shot its head down in attack.

"Not that again!" Doyle groaned as the sea serpent thrashed out at the ghosts. While it was currently help them out, this thing could easily become a double edged sword.

"Zak, your powers!" Drew called out, but Zak was already on the case.

"No worries mom, I got this!" He raised up the claw and it quickly glowed orange along with his eyes. "Come on big guy, let's calm down." He asked in a strained voice as the serpent's eyes glowed to match. "There we… what!?"

"What's wrong Zak?" Drew asked as she kneeled down beside him.

"I…. I don't know…. It told me to bud out." He responded in amazement.

"It told you to what?" Doc questioned in disbelief.

Zak nodded. "I'm not kidding dad, that's exactly what it said to me."

Doyle was watching the beast as it darted left and right at the wolves while Maddie shot a few more. "Is it me, or does that thing look like it's enjoying itself." He questioned as he saw the smirk curl up on the serpent's lips. Just as the beast dropped down to strike again, a small green vortex appeared before its snout. It reared back in confusion before silently holding its gaze on the forming portal. Maddie instantly noticed the anomaly and slid down from the airship on a rope with her bazooka ready to fire.

"Another one!?" Doc yelled in annoyance. He stood in front of his family alongside Doyle as they waited for the ghost that would come out. Needless to say it was surprise all around when the missing Secret Scientists stepped out from the swirling green vortex.

* * *

 **And once again... I leave you hanging. Regardless though, it does make reading more fun. Anyway, so thanks for your understanding about the week skipping thing, but hopefully the wait was indeed worth it.**

 **First thing I want to go over would be the reveal that most of you saw coming. I found it to be the best idea plot wise if Maddie was the first to figure it out. That doesn't mean Zak isn't already super suspicious about him... duh? Maddie's reaction was a bit hard for me since there are so many other interpretation, but I decided to keep it more cannon. She's never really thought twice about accepting him in the 2 times it happened in the show so I followed suit. There will be more on this in the next chapter so if that's what you want, look forward to it.**

 **Then there's the Zak and Fisk problem. Since he'd only just made up with Danny, he didn't really want to start something again. Also, he of all people should be able to tell when someone's trying to keep a secret no?**

 **Thx again for reading my story this far and I hope you'll leave a comment! Questions are also welcome! Until next week, I bid you adue.=^-^=**


	9. Chapter 9 - Theory of Possession

**Happy Saturday ya'll and I hope you're having a good week. I'm on fall break, but spent both days working... that sucked, anyway I sure most of you don't care. So a new chapter! The end of one part and the beginning of another ahead so enjoy!=^-^=**

 **Ch. 9 - Theory of Possession**

* * *

The first to exit was Dr. Grey who was followed by Mizuki, his tiger and then Beeman. They all raised their hands over their eyes at the contrast of light. "Where are we?" Dr. Grey questioned.

"Do not worry human, you are back where you once were." After the scientists stood Gaia, the blue ghost cat. Miranda lowered her hand as her eyes adjusted and quickly realized she was exactly where she once was. The Saturday's airship still sat covered in snow while the family themselves stood in battle ready stances before it.

"Looks like fuzzy wasn't pulling our legs." Beeman commented in annoyance. "But I don't remember Paul being here before."

Gaia gave a nod. "You may not realize right away, but it has been a full day since you were taken." She then left them in their confusion before turning to the wolves. "And you, that is enough of your childish antics. You need not be so harsh to strangers and especially children no matter their abilities." The wolves growled in reply while the leader glared at her. She glared back calmly, but not even the pack alpha could hold their ground to it. After not even a full minute, all of them dashed away in retreat and without any further shows of aggression. All around watched in minor surprise at how easily the feline specter could chase them away.

Professor Mizuki gave a bow in thanks to the ghost. "I thank you for your assistance."

She gave an accepting nod before walking towards the Saturdays. "You should leave now. They will come back if you remain." She warned as she specifically looked up at Drew.

"Thank you." She said in appreciation as she began sheath her fire sword.

"Now hold on." Dr. Beeman began with an arrogant tone. "We came here to get Kid Kur there and we're not leaving without him."

Drew raised her sword back up. "Oh you're leaving without him alright you-"

"You must understand! You know we do not plan to hurt him." Professor Mizuki tried to reason.

Doc stepped forward this time. "Yeah, and plans can change. My son is staying with his family." He responded as he charged up his battle glove.

Dr. Grey was the next to try and reason with them as she directed her plead towards Drew. "You know what Kur is. His evil terrorized the ancient world-" She was then cut off by their gracious savior.

"KUR IS NOT EVIL!" Gaia snapped. "And you humans would see that if you weren't all so blinded by that single incarnation!" She then paused and seemed to realize something. She glanced back at the Saturdays though, more specifically Zak. "Soon…" And then she apperated away without any more warning. The confusion and slight surprise was shared all around, but it didn't last.

Beemen pulled out a remote from his jacket which seemed to control his ship. It flew over readily as he crossed his arms. "This isn't up for debate." He then turned to Mizuki with a nod which prompted him to turn with a fight ready stance.

"Sorry Beemen, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you. I know, shocking isn't it?" Maddie quipped as she pulled out a quarter staff.

"Didn't you hear the cat? She said we're leaving, but feel free to stick around for those wolves. Can't say I'll complain." Drew suggested in a sarcastic tone.

The other scientists didn't seem to be backing down at all despite the obvious disadvantage they had. Beemen scoffed at the comment. "I don't care what it was, but I'm not backing down because the kitty witty said so!" He declared.

His angry expression faltered at the sound of a loud and deep growl. "Maybe not the 'kitty witty' but what about a twenty ton sea serpent?" The three of them all turned and immediately lost any color to their faces as they gazed up at the serpent that rose to several stories. The creature wore a cocky smirk as he glared down at them.

"By Zol…." Beemen uttered out as his glasses fell down his nose.

"At this point I would normally say Boo but maybe this would be more appropriate." He then proceeded to roar viciously causing more than one of them to stumble as they moved back. They were gone only minutes later after the serpent gave them a bit more motivation. As the ship flew away the serpent seemed to snap at them for good measure, but didn't do anymore to stop them.

Zak, who stared in surprise with the rest of the Saturday family, raised his hand to ask a question. "Alright, tell me I'm not the only one who heard the giant sea serpent talking."

"No worries miniman, I heard him too." Doyle said as he pat Zak on the shoulder and continued to look up at the beast in amazement.

Doc couldn't wrap his mind around it. "Since when could it talk!?" He turned to see Ulraj running up to them in equal astonishment. "You never mentioned it could talk."

Ulraj shook his head as he stopped in joining them. "I-I didn't know it could….. it never has before." He defended in confusion.

"For a cryptid to gain the ability to speak like this-" Drew started before Maddie cut her off.

"Relax, all of you." She insisted as she put her weapon away. "The sea serpent isn't the one talking."

Doyle raised a brow and pointed at it. "You seeing something I'm not? Cause that's what I'm seeing."

Maddie nodded at his confusion. "Yes well…. You could say the serpent is talking, but it doesn't know it is." She took a few steps towards it and crossed her arms. "Don't you think it's about time to get out of the sea serpent Phantom?"

The serpent turned to her with a smirk. "I guess I didn't make it too hard to guess huh?" He then seemed to laugh a bit. "But seriously, that was fun." His amusement seemed to wane when he noticed she wasn't as amused and began to tap her foot. "Uh…. No problem…" The serpent's expression went from sheepish to disoriented as his head fell to the ground. Although cushioned by the snow, the surrounding land shook slightly under the impact. Drew raised her hand to her chin as she watched the scene. It seemed interesting to her how Maddie talked to Phantom despite how she'd described him before. It was like she knew him better all of a sudden, which would be unrealistic seeing as they had talked about him only earlier that day.

"So, Phantom was inside the sea serpent? Awesome!" Zak shouted in excitement before a bit of realization hit him. "Wait a minute…. Phantom was the one who told me to bud out then?!" He finished in irritation.

"Your powers may have been interfering with his concentration Zak." Maddie informed.

"What exactly do you mean by that? How was that Phantom kid able to control the sea serpent." Doc inquired in annoyance.

"Phantom is a ghost remember? So it only makes sense that he can possess things right?" Doyle pointed out as if it were obvious.

Doc was not amused by the information. "What kind of B movie answer was that?"

Maddie quickly added in her more intricate explanation to alleviate Doc's frustration. "While it is more complex than that, he's basically right. Possession is a standard ghost power, but it isn't as simple as any movie would portray it. When a ghost over shadows a person, or possess them, they actually exert their will over the host. The weaker a person's will is, the easier it is for a ghost to replace it with their own. In the same way, it is also much harder for a ghost to control a strong willed individual though circumstances of the situation can change that as well."

Doc crossed his arms. "I'm still waiting for the science in that answer."

Maddie rolled her eyes and sighed. "I figured you wouldn't accept it so easily. Anyway, Ectoplasm, which makes up a majority of a ghosts body, is very receptive to neural impulses. Even though it is fundamentally different from what makes up living nerves, the highly charged impulses that allow for a ghost to move, can easily be transferred into a person or animal unhindered. All a ghost really has to do is phase their form into the host's body and use their own impulses in place of the host's. This happens on multiple levels which can range from a person being fully conscious and aware, to them being unconscious completely. In most cases of actual possession the host is unconscious and cannot recall what happened while being overshadowed." As she finished Doc seemed a bit more receptive to the idea, but he wasn't sold on it quite yet.

"Um…. Will my city's serpent be alright?" The young king questioned as he stood beside its head and pat the front of its nose.

Maddie turned with a nod. "Don't worry, Phantom didn't hold him long enough for any damage to be done. Even in long term possession though, harm to the host is all dependent on the ghost doing the possessing." Her words were reaffirmed when Ulraj heard the low groan of the serpent regaining consciousness.

The young king let out a breath of relief before turning to see Zak looking over at him. "What?"

Zak took a few steps. "Nothing… I was just wondering where Phantom went. He's not in the sea serpent anymore right?"

All eyes turned to Maddie. "I doubt it." She responded as she pulled out her mobile ghost tracker. "He doesn't seem to be in the area at all anymore."

Drew raised a brow. "I'm a bit surprised he would suddenly show up out of the blue."

Maddie nodded to her question. "So was I when I ran into him last night. When I asked why was here he simply refused to tell me."

Zak was shocked, along with most of the others. "Wait… he's been here since yesterday?!" The ghost hunter gave him a confirming nod. "Why didn't he jump out before now?"

Doyle crossed his arms in agreement. "Yeah, I mean how many times have those ghost mutts attacked us?" He then gave a pause as he thought back.

"What's wrong Doyle?" Hi sister inquired at his sudden change of mood.

"Hold on I… Maybe he did come out before?" He started as he furrowed his brow. "Back when I was flying through that snow storm."

Zak's eyes widened in realization. "So when you were talking about how you thought you saw Phantom….?"

Doyle nodded. "Yeah, I'm starting to think maybe I wasn't seeing things."

"That would explain how you made it through that snow storm." Drew concluded.

"Not to mention how Danny could have found him and gotten him back in the airship before he froze." Doc added in getting an amused smirk from his wife. He frowned as he let out a sigh. "But regardless of him being a 'ghost'," He used air quotes and directed them towards Drew. "He did just save us from another fight with the Secret Scientists."

"Duh dad, that's what super heroes do." Zak pointed out with his claw draped over his shoulders. "I was just wondering why he waited so long to help us out. I mean if he'd jumped out back when that giant ghost grabbed mom or when those wolves were attacking the village, it would have been way cooler." Fiskerton happily agreed with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Plus, I could have gotten an autograph." Zak added in after watching Fisk get excited thinking about Phantom fighting the ghost wolves.

* * *

Later on that day as the sun started to descend in the sky, the Saturdays said their goodbyes to Dr. Cheechoo who, along with his assistants, was picked up by another team to go and recover their equipment. The catacombs they were researching were not close enough to the village that they had to worry and so he didn't need the Saturdays to help him out anymore. "I appreciate you guys coming out to help despite all the craziness."

"We were just doing our jobs." Doc responded as Paul climbed into the research transport. "If another creature turns up, you have our number."

Paul shook his hand as he nodded. "It's on speed dial." And with that he shut the door and the geologists were off to get their equipment.

"Looks like that's one more problem out of the way. I doubt those ghosts will have much to complain about once they finish packing up and we leave." Drew stated as Doc walked back over to the ship.

"Yeah, but there's still plenty to take care of." Doc pointed out as he turned towards the city of Kumari and the serpent it sat upon.

Drew turned to the city herself and crossed her arms. "Yes, but what exactly do we do about it? If cryptids really are homing in on Zak, then it wouldn't matter if we could send it away."

Doc nodded. "True, but we should at least move this one to a warmer ocean."

* * *

Now that the ghosts were gone, Maddie had more time to talk to her son about his abilities. There was still a lot she couldn't wrap her mind around. She waited inside their shared room and it wasn't long before Danny finally showed back up. "I was wondering where you were." He stated as he phased through the ceiling.

She wore a happy but conflicted expression as she approached him. "I had to do a bit of explaining to Drew and the others about ghosts and possession. Then Paul left, and we had to figure out where we were going from there. They want to move the sea serpent to warmer waters."

Danny crossed his legs as he floated before her. "Oh, so where exactly are we going? We're still working with them right?" He inquired curiously.

She gave a nod. "That was my plan. Despite meeting with the ghost, I'm still not sure what they were after, and that is why Drew asked for my help in the first place. Being gone a bit longer wouldn't be too bad would it?" She asked remembering how against this trip Danny was.

He shrugged. "Can't say it would be. Besides, they need help, and I can't help feeling like I need to be here. Zak's problem isn't too far off from issues I've had myself."

Maddie nodded in understanding with a cross expression. "Yes, I'd imagine…."

Danny raised a brow as he noticed her demeanor change. "Come on mom, it's alright really." He comforted as he stood on the floor firmly. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't thinking about you guys at all just now. Besides, his parents are the ones on his side."

She gave him a small smile as she pulled him into a hug. "Yes they are, just like I'm with you now. They're a team and so are we." She expressed with a clenched fist.

"Yup." He agreed with a determined expression. "We've got 'em covered." He then pulled away and shifted to a more serious expression as he took to floating with his arms crossed. "But the biggest problem is figuring out how this fits together. That cat ghost wasn't evil if what you and Mrs. Saturday experienced was any indication."

Maddie nodded. "Yes and what she told us was also very confusing. Those other strange ghosts seemed worried about something degrading the Ghost Zone."

Danny turned to her with a curious gaze. "Other ghosts? You mean to ones with eyeballs for heads?"

She nodded. "They were the ones who took me and Drew to begin with, though it seemed to be some sort of accident."

Danny wore an annoyed expression as he scoffed at them. "Observants…. Man those guys are annoying."

"Observants?" Maddie wondered aloud before she thought back. "Right, I think that's what Gaia had called them." She paused in thought again as her own eyes widened at Danny. "How did you know what they were called?"

Danny was surprised at first by her question before he dawned a cocky smirk. "Let's just say I have more experience with ghosts than you might think. I've had the pleasure of being on their black list before."

It seemed that with that one statement, Maddie could almost see the experiences in his eyes. Phantom had been around for about a year, and that meant Danny had at least that much experience fighting ghosts that she had no idea about. She was conflicted….. although she was appalled thinking back to all of those fights she watched, she couldn't help but be proud of him too. To think her son would follow in her and Jack's footprints without them even realizing it. "I guess you'll have to tell me about some of these ghosts at some point." She stated with the confliction obvious on her face.

Danny wasn't blind to it though as he nodded. "Of course, but I also keep files on them in the main computer." His serious expression faded as he let out a breath. "And please don't look at me like that mom, I know you're worried, but I'm fine."

She shook her head. "But I can't not worry Danny. Ghost or not, you're still my little boy." She then pulled him back into a hug.

Danny was obviously embarrassed as his arms fell to his sides. "Come on mom!" He grumbled while lacking the will to stop her. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"You will always be my little boy Danny." Maddie countered as she released him.

His green blush turned red as his morph ring encroached from his waist. She couldn't hide her curiosity at the transformation. Danny noticed rather quickly as he inquired about it. "What's up mom?"

"You know you don't have to hide what you really look like anymore don't you? I guess though, if you don't want the Saturdays to know, that's fine with me."

Danny seemed confused by her statement. "What are you talking about? This is what I really look like mom."

The ghost hunter returned the puzzled expression with a question. "So you change your appearance to keep people from recognizing you?" She asked as she took to inspecting him a bit with one hand.

Danny took a moment to figure out where she was going with this before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh wait, hold on there mom, I think you misunderstood something about before." He grabbed her hand which had found its way to his hairline just above his ear. He brought it down to the top of his neck. "I'm not a ghost right now mom, I'm human." Her puzzlement only increased as his words were backed up by the obvious pulse in his neck. "When I transform into Phantom, I become a ghost. I'm really only half ghost."

Her expression grew into bewilderment at the revelation. "B-but… That can't be…. How?" She really couldn't wrap her mind around this one. How could a human have ghost powers?

Danny released her hand as his migrated to the back of his neck. "Well…. I'm not exactly sure of all the specifics, but I know I'm not all ghost. Do you remember that incident I had with the portal and how it miraculously started working?"

She gave a nod. "Yes, and you were lucky you didn't sustain any serious injuries messing around with something so dangerous." She scolded before thinking more on it. "But….. wait are you saying it has something to do with your powers?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah…. Sam and Tucker actually brought me up to my room after that. Since I had turned into Phantom, they didn't know what else to do and panicked I guess. After I woke up, I eventually figured out how to change back and then when you guys came home we decided not to tell you about that part." He wore a regretful expression as he explained. "I didn't really think much about it after getting cleared at the hospital. I mean if a doctor said I was perfectly fine, who was I to disagree?"

She could tell he wasn't completely sure of his own reasoning, but she couldn't explain it any other way. A ghost could never pass as a human so thoroughly outside possession and she could tell Danny wasn't possessed. His skin was warm and aside from being older, she couldn't find anything to say he wasn't her Danny since the accident. She gently held his shoulders as she looked over him more. "I can't really say I understand, but I trust you. You would know more than me at this point." She then reached one hand to her chin as she gave it a bit more thought. "Hmmm... Given your proximity to the portal, it could have altered your DNA on a molecular level causing it to bind with some of the ectoplasmic energy it was giving off….. hmmm….. and to have conscious control over the molecular shift…."

Danny could see the gears of her mind turning as her inner scientist took hold. Despite him knowing better, he couldn't help but be a bit nervous about it. It's not like her hypothesis could hurt him, it was more the implications of it and how his mom's mind generally worked. "Uh… mom… I…"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to her now anxious son. Her curiosity quickly turned to regret as she realized the implications of the way she was speaking. "Oh Danny I'm sorry about that. You know I didn't mean anything by it, I was just getting ahead of myself and got side tracked." She gave him a comforting hug and then pat him on the head. "You don't have to worry alright?"

"I know, I was just trying to snap you out of it." He defended in vain since Maddie wasn't fooled for a minute.

She gave him a knowing expression before taking a seat on the bed. "Anyway, about those ghosts…. The Observants?"

Danny gave a nod. "Yeah, they're a political power of the Ghost Zone who take it upon themselves to try and keep ghosts from going crazy in the human world. Honestly, they aren't too bad at it, but they are also helpless in most cases because most of the stronger ghosts are the ones who do it. They tend to rely on other ghosts to catch them, but aside from that they can handle them pretty well." His expression then showed exasperation. "But they are also bunch of idiots who have a bad tendency to jump the gun and miss the big picture. You could say that all they can really do is observe and decide based on that."

Maddie found herself chuckling at that. "You and Gaia seem to share the same opinion of them."

Danny raised a brow. "Who? The ghost cat? Can't really say I'm surprised. It's a pretty popular opinion." He then seemed to think over something else. "But that cat….. I've never seen that ghost before. If she's strong enough to send those wolves packing with a glare and boss the Observants around, this might be bigger than just those wolves and some ancient cryptid."

Maddie agreed as she turned towards the door again. "Well then, all the more reason to stay on board. I'm going to go and see what Doc and Drew decided on. She seemed to have something in mind, but wouldn't tell me earlier."

* * *

"There we go, I set the auto pilot for home." Doc announced as he stood up from his chair in the control room. "We can only hope the other Secret Scientists will give us a breather after the whole ghost thing long enough for you to find what you're looking for."

Drew leaned against the back of the chair as he passed her. "Hopefully. We weren't able to finish repairs from that robot rampage so I didn't get to check the damages on everything. I can only hope that the library wasn't one of the casualties." She stated in a serious tone. "We need more information if that ghost was telling the truth."

Doc raised a brow. "You mean about the multiple incarnations?" He inquired in interest. He the crossed his arms. "It would be the first I've heard about it, but a scar on history can cover lots of things."

His wife nodded in agreement. "Or it was covered up on purpose. The Nagas did destroy Lemuria to try and prevent Fiskerton from learning his true origins."

"Good point." He concurred in a serious tone. "If your theory proves true, we may have another run in with them as well. I don't want to think what could happen if Argost, the Secret Scientists and the Nagas came at us all at once."

"Scared?" Drew teased with a smirk.

"Just being realistic." He countered with a smirk of his own.

"So am I to assume there's a plan now?" They both turned to see Maddie as she entered the room.

Drew walked over to her with a worried expression. "Yes, but are you sure you want to come with us? I don't want to drag you into this fight; you or Danny."

Maddie shook her head. "Believe it or not, I was in this the minute you called me for help. Any issues me and Jack had with the scientists doesn't negate an old friendship does it?"

Drew wore a grateful expression. "I suppose it doesn't, but what about Danny? I know you can hold your own but do you really want Danny involved in this?"

Maddie understood her worry as her own seemed to show. "No, I don't, but I also know he can handle himself." She wore a proud expression. "Considering how often we deal with ghosts I'm sure the scientists or these Nagas you were talking about could be all that different."

"True, they can't jump through walls but they're just as ugly." Doyle chimed in as he entered the room with a cocky expression. "And then there's the nagas."

Drew rolled her eyes at the banter. "Okay, if we have all of that settled then I'm going to go get Zak off to bed."

* * *

Later that night a silent shadow slinked through the halls of the mobile airship. It was followed close behind by another much larger one as they crept through the halls. The smaller one peeked around a corridor. "Looks like the coast is clear." He whispered to his taller companion. They both then slowly walked up the hall being the quietest as they passed the gym which is whether Doc and Drew Saturday had their late night sparing matches. Just as they passed it though, something caught their attention. The boy stopped and peeked through with his companion doing the same only higher. "Is that Danny?" Zak asked Fisk as he looked up. (It is….. right?) Zak raised a brow. "It was more of a rhetorical question Fisk." He whispered in exasperation before looking back at what he saw.

Normally his parents would be the ones in here but now it seems Danny was alone within. "What's he doing?" Zak wondered aloud. Danny was standing in the center of the room with a bo staff held tightly in both fists. He held it out in front of him as he stood perfectly still. After spending a few minutes watching him do nothing else Zak started to get bored. Even though Danny had yet to explain the green laser thing, he had something else he had to do at the moment. "Let's get going Fisk. We don't want to miss any of it." He directed as he started to sneak down the hall again. The Lemurian followed soon after while nodding in agreement.

They found their destination in the control room where Zak brought down the big screen. "We should get a pretty good signal from here." He said as he climbed into the chair to get comfortable. Fisk leaned over the back with a nod as the TV flickered on just in time for the creepy theme music of "Argost's Weird World" to begin. Little did they know, however, that they had a silent observer themselves.

Phantom smirked invisibly as he floated over them. 'They aren't bad at sneaking around, but I heard them coming from a mile away.' Danny thought confidently as he began to watch the show with them. 'Kind of have to wonder why he'd have to sneak around to watch this show when he could just DVR it.' He then crossed his invisible arms. 'Or maybe he's just not allowed to watch it?' He continued his silent observation of the show with curiosity. The main character reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

The one known as Argost started talking about some creature called the Ahuizotle which seemed to baffle Zak. "How is this thing supposed to help me control my cryptid powers?" With that one question Danny finally figured out who Argost reminded him of and it didn't make him at all happy. He knew Zak could end up in serious trouble if he was doing what he thought he was doing.

* * *

 **And so ends another chapter! Hope ya'll enjoyed it! I added on to the the conversation Maddie and Danny were having when the ghost wolves attacked. You may not have noticed but they ever actually went over the whole half ghost part. Considering the events of "Doctor's Disorders" I figured neither Jack or Maddie would jump to that at first. I also used it to explain bit more of how I feel the initial accident played out. I gathered from "My Brother's Keeper" that they would know about the accident since Jazz mentioned it in that episode, but maybe not have the whole story.**

 **Also please take all scientific sounding things in this fic with a grain of salt since I'm making it up as I go!=^-^=**

 **Last bit would be directed at the ending. What Danny was doing will b explained later while Zak's behavior is just what he would do in the show I think.**

 **Thx for reading and I hope you'll comment below!**


	10. Chapter 10 - Ambush

**HI HI my readers! Today is such an awesome day! Not only am I starting my vacation from work, but I'm going to the state fair! Anyway, so I have some action in this chapter for you, but it is a tad shorter than most of the others.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 10 - Ambush**

* * *

Airship Saturday was pretty quiet as it made its way through the night sky towards the Saturday home. Danny, who was sleeping soundly up to this time, suddenly felt very awake as his eyes shot open. After a moment he lifted his arm over his forehead with a groan. "Let me guess…." He lifted his phone from under his pillow to read the time. He sat up while raking his fingers through his hair. "Might as well I guess." He swung his legs off of the guest bed while being careful not wake up his mother. Even though she normally had to deal with Jack's snoring and squirming, he figured it wouldn't hurt to be careful.

Ghosts just loved to come around at night with their favorite time being around 3 a.m. After several months of this, Danny's natural internal clock started to wake him up most nights and he usually spent a little time patrolling until he got tired again. On this particular night, he found a quick trip to the bathroom wouldn't be too bad an idea and made his way over to the door. As soon as the door opened he noticed something was wrong. Even in the dark hallways he could see a strange mist in the air that restricted his breathing the minute it found his face. He felt a wave of dizziness next as he held the side of the door frame to keep on his feet. "W-what's…. going on…" With the last vestiges of his consciousness, he swung himself out of the room and allowed the door to close so that whatever it was wouldn't get to his mom.

* * *

"It would seem our information was…. Incomplete." A tall stoic man commented as two of his men tossed the unconscious Danny Fenton into the holding room. Drew and Doc Saturday watched him with venomous eyes from the back wall. Komodo hissed like mad as he squirmed around in a strange binding that matched the ones around the limbs of the Saturdays.

"What are you doing!?" Doc demanded as he leaned forward. "Finally joining the other Secret Scientists in their Kur hunt!"

Agent Epsilon smirked. "Not quite. I will be happy to explain more once we have the target in custody." He then left and the door closed behind him.

"Danny!" Drew immediately called as she leaned forwards. After a few more calls the teen finally stirred.

"God…. That smell…" He pushed himself up on his bound wrists to see the room around him.

"Good, it looks like he's okay." Doc deduced from his groggy yet calm state.

Danny turned to him with a slightly confused expression. "Huh?" When he tried to get up he found he was tied up only after he fell in the attempt. "Whoa!" He lifted his head to see the strange wrappings with irritation. "What the heck?"

"We're currently in a… situation. They tied you up much like they did us." Drew informed as she raised her own wrists.

"They must've fed that gas through the secondary air filtration system. That's only reason I can think of that they'd hit us first." Doc stated as he leant back on the wall. "Though I'm surprised they got you. All the rooms have their own smaller filters to keep out harmful gases like this."

Danny sat up as best he could in his tied position. "Nah, I got up and left the room. I remember smelling this weird gas before closing the door and passing out, so I don't think it got to my mom."

Doc raised a brow. "What were you doing up at 3 a.m.?"

Danny gave a pause in thought. "Force of habit… Anyway are these guys like those other scientists or something?"

Drew nodded. "Agent Epsilon, who is in charge of them, is."

"It's strange that they'd suddenly make a move after all this time though." Doc wondered aloud. "This is the first time we've even seen him since Antarctica."

"Government agents are always slow on the uptake." Danny stated in an annoyed tone. "But what secret branch are these guys with?"

Drew shook her head. "I wouldn't assume that Danny. Anyway…. Do we actually know what branch he's with?"

"That's classified." They all heard from behind. Agent Epsilon had returned with Fiskerton, who was now tied up.

"Agent Epsilon I presume?" Danny asked with a raised brow.

"That would be correct Mr. Daniel Fenton."

It was obvious that Danny was surprised he knew his name. "Uh…. Yeah?"

Epsilon wore a smirk as his men pushed Fiskerton into the room. "I pulled up your file. I'm curious to know how you can be banned from the use of all fragile school property without being expelled for vandalism."

"It's a trade secret." Danny quipped back with an unamused expression.

If his response bothered Epsilon he didn't show it as he got right down to business. "At this point I believe it is safe to assume there is at least one other Fenton onboard the airship."

He turned his gaze towards Drew who glared venomously back. "Wouldn't you like to know."

He merely chuckled and turned back to the door. He reached up to the communication device in his ear. "Be on the lookout for another woman. She will most likely be wearing a blue jumpsuit and she is more than likely armed." He closed the door behind himself quickly after.

Danny then turned to them in curiosity. "Are you sure you guys were ever friends?"

"I really wouldn't say that, more like acquaintances." Drew growled back while still looking at the door.

Doc yanked at the strange bindings around his wrists. "I really think we should start figuring a way out of here before he comes back again."

Drew nodded and turned to Fisk. "Did they get Zak?" Fiskerton shook his head. (No, he jumped down a shoot.) He then showed them what he meant with his bound hands.

"Good." Doc stated with a grunt. "I'm sure he'll give them a run for their money then." He then stopped with a sigh of frustration. "What are these made of?"

Drew took a good look at her own. "It's light, strong and metallic."

"Probably some mixture of titanium then, we'd need a plasma cutter or something to take these off."

Fiskerton furrowed his brow a moment before an idea hit him. (Hey!) He growled as he squirmed his way over to the others. Once he'd got close enough to Danny he threw his hands in his face. (You get it off!) "What?" Danny questioned as he pushed the Lemurian's hands away with his own. Fiskerton growled in agitation as he shook his hands before him. He then stuck out his pointer finger and thumb like a gun and accented the gesture with a blaster sound. "Whoa hold on… I can't do that."

"What's he talking about Danny?" Drew inquired as she watched the two of them.

"I have no idea!" He denied rather quickly while pushing him away. Fisk was outraged by the denial as he growled in irritation. He brought back the story about the werewolf cryptids and how Danny had scared them away by shooting a laser at them.

Both the Saturday parents looked at the Lemurian with disbelief and slight worry over the outrageous story. "Fiskerton, I really don't think now is the time for wild stories." The Lemurian's outrage only grew when he wasn't believed.

* * *

Down in a lower part of the airship, one young Saturday was making his way towards the flight deck to hopefully gain control of the ship which was now over run with agents under Epsilon. He kicked open a vent and crawled out into a seemingly empty hall. "Good looks like the coast is clear."

"Think again." Another countered from his left.

He turned to see Francis waiting for him with a cocky grin. "Oh come on, again?"

Francis chuckled. "You are just so predictable it's almost sad."

Zak stood up and raised his claw. "You say that after ambushing us at 3 in the morning? A bit cliché don't you think?"

He shrugged in response. "The early bird does get the worm you know."

Zak chuckled back. "Then I'd hate to imagine what you would be. What's lower than a worm?" He asked sarcastically while extending his weapon.

Francis' smirk fell. "How clever…." He then whipped his arm up and a thin piece of metal shot out of his sleeve.

Zak couldn't really tell what it was before parrying with his claw. "What is this?" He asked as he looked over the new metal wrapping around his weapon.

"Just a little something new for containing targets. Father calls them 'Slap Wraps' for obvious reasons."

Zak just rolled his eyes as he contemplated how he was going to get into the control room. Francis wasn't about to let him go without a fight, and Fisk hasn't caught up with him yet… "So…. Are you just going to stand there or-"

Francis didn't wait for him to finish before raising his other arm and launching another one of the restraint devices. His aim was thwarted, however, by a small explosion behind him which knocked him to the wall. "Got your back miniman!" Doyle shouted as he charged past the young agent.

"Awesome!" Zak complimented as he met Doyle's right hand with his own left. Their triumph was short lived when they found their wrists bound together with one of the titanium restraints.

"You shouldn't celebrate until you've actually won!" Francis corrected as he straightened his glasses.

"What the heck?" Doyle asked while holding his bound wrist up and consequently holding Zak on his toes.

"Aw man!"

Francis chuckled at their predicament as he readied another restraint. "That looks cumbersome."

"At least we're not hanging from the ceiling." Doyle countered. Francis furrowed his brow at the statement before a clicking sound made the meaning more clear. He was dangling from rope seconds later much to his own irritation.

"Nice." Zak commented at the well placed trap.

"Expect nothing less." Doyle shot back. "Anyway miniman, this place is crawling with those guys. We need to get going."

"What about mom and dad? Fiskerton's missing too."

Doyle nodded as he tried to figure out the restrained which held both boys facing opposite directions. "Doc and Drew were already grabbed miniman. They were able to warn me before that gas they used got to the lower levels of the ship. I bet Fisk is with 'em by now if he's been captured."

Zak pulled him along towards the control room with haste. "Then we need to take the ship's controls."

Doyle agreed as he followed in a somewhat awkward stride. "Sounds like a plan. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, but what about Danny and Mrs. Fenton?" Zak opened the doors and was a little surprised at the scene in front of him. Seven agents lay all around and unconscious along the bridge.

"I think Mrs. Fenton is fine." Doyle deduced as she unceremoniously dropped an eighth agent to the ground with a disappointed expression.

"I should have expected as much." She then noticed the boys. "Doyle, Zak? Have either of you seen Danny?" She turned back to the agent she'd dropped. "I woke up and couldn't find him, and then these goons started popping out everywhere I looked."

"Nah, haven't run into Danny yet, but if they've grabbed him then he's probably with the others. I got another one of the agents to spill about them being held in one of the storage rooms higher on the ship."

That brought a smile to Maddie's face. "Good, I didn't get anything out of these idiots."

Zak then pulled Doyle towards the con. "We can use the security's heat sensor to track them from here."

* * *

"How did you get that off?" Doc inquired in amazement as Danny held up the thin metal strip that once bound his ankles together.

Danny scrutinized it. "I'm not really sure…." Truth be told though, he had an idea. He'd been secretly trying to freeze the metal to make it brittle so he could make it break without exposing himself. As he looked it over he thought about the cold of the metal. 'Maybe when I make it cold it unwraps?' He thought to himself in curiously. Now that he could stand he moved over towards the door. "We could use this to our advantage though. I bet they didn't think we'd get any of them off."

Drew gave a nod. "True. When Epsilon comes back in we could take him by surprise but….." She trailed off as she looked over to her husband.

Their time for a plan was cut short as Danny opened the electric doors. Danny crouched and waited just to the left of the door frame for the two agents who were guarding them to walk through to investigate. The minute they stepped through the young teen cleverly threw the metal restraint at their legs, effectively binding both agents together by one of their legs. He then tackled them from the side and with their legs tying them together, their balance became impossible to maintain. They crashed to the ground while Danny made his escape. "Suckers!"

Neither Saturday could really express their surprise at what Danny had just accomplished. So far, he'd shown no real signs he was very physically capable. "This explains why Maddie wasn't worried about him being here." Drew deduced with a brow raised.

"Uh-huh, and the more I see of that kid, the more I think he reminds me of Zak."

Drew nodded in agreement. "You've got a point there. Maybe that's why they were butting heads before?" She started with a grin.

"So alike they couldn't stand each other?" Doc gave a nod as he pushed himself up from the ground. "Sounds plausible. Anyway, why don't we see what we can get off of those two? I'd rather not stay tied up all night."

* * *

"That's all of the upper decks…. Where are they?" Zak said as he tried to throw up both of his arms only to have one of them abruptly stop when Doyle's didn't move with it.

"Don't know what to tell you miniman. I'm kinda wondering why we didn't see any of those agents on it though…"

Maddie looked around the room. "Maybe this is all he brought? I can't really guess though since I'd never met him before." She then noticed something on the thermal gridded screen; a cold spot which seemed to be moving towards them. She quickly found herself grinning at it as she realized who that was.

"I'm going over it again…. Maybe they aren't on the upper level like you were told. That guy could have been lying to you."

Doyle gave him a confident expression. "You honestly think one of these idiots could trick me?"

"Maybe? Where else could they be?"

"Over here." They heard from behind. Doc walked into the room followed by Drew, Fisk, and Komodo.

"See?" Zak pointed out before running up to his parents.

"To be fair to Doyle, we were on the upper levels before."

Doyle crossed his arms in triumph. "Told ya."

Drew then looked around the room. "Danny hasn't found you yet?"

Doyle and Zak shook their heads. "No, we ran into Mrs. Fenton though." Zak pointed out as the scientist in question looked over the screen of the con.

"No doubt she entertained my agents." Epsilon interjected as he and several others busted into the room.

Francis wore an accomplished smirk as he stood by his father's side. "I think I know where you get your predictability from." The Saturdays stood ready to fight as the agents surrounded them.

"Now hold on there." He protested with his hands raised in a nonaggressive manner. "Remember, I'm not here to duke it out, as it were. I merely wanted to have your attention, but given your history with the others I thought a more…. Forward approach was needed."

"What is it you want then?" Doc inquired while remaining on guard.

Epsilon cleared his throat. "We don't share in the other scientists opinions of Kur." He began as he pulled out a tablet. He then began playing news footage of New York. "You see my people saw his little show in New York and they want to recruit him."

"You want to make him a weapon!?" Drew asked in outrage while keeping her voice low. "My son is not a weapon!"

Agent Epsilon shook his head. "Not so simply my dear. We can offer him safety and seclusion, and to all of you as well. Imagine what he can learn in a more structured environment. The boy does need to learn to control his emotions." Francis then stepped up. "Francis here could teach him that and more."

"Francis!? You've got to be kidding me. We hate each other!" Zak announced in irritation.

"True enough, but it's my responsibility." Francis almost growled out.

"Yes, my people thought he'd respond better to someone his own age. He's more structured, self-controlled and intelligent."

Zak crossed his arms in annoyance. "And yet I was still able to trick him with the jellyfish." He then clicked his tongue. "Yeah right."

"I'm going to have to agree with my son on this one. He stays with his family." Doc decreed with an unwavering resolve.

Epsilon then seemed to furrow his brow. "It's a shame you see it that way, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." At his statement all the agents readied weapons and several of their restraint devices.

"Don't government agents no how to take no for an answer?" An echoing voice sounded from out of nowhere. The room's temperature seemed to drop as many of the agents searched for the source of the voice. "Over here guys." Phantom now floated above the door they all had entered with a cocky smirk on his face.

"What in the world is going on here?" Agent Epsilon shouted as he turned towards the intruder. Several of the agents turned their weapons onto the teen ghost in response.

"Oh just dropped in to say hi." The agent responded by throwing one of the restraints at him and it quickly wrapped around his ankles. Danny furrowed his brow as he floated and reached for the metal band. "Now that was just rude." He pulled it off easily as it snapped back into its original straight form. "By the way, I already figured out these metal things of yours. They react to body heat." He revealed with confidence. "Unfortunately for you, I have none." He then tossed it towards the agents who dodged as to not be caught by its heat seeking ability. A strange series of slips and slides ensued as several of the agents failed to get any traction and fell to the floor. "Oh yeah, did I mention the floor was frozen? Oh well…. My bad." He then floated down to them. "Now I'd get going before you guys make even bigger fools of yourselves then you already have."

"Not likely" Epsilon responded as he activated a switch on his collar. He then proceeded to grab Danny by the arm which shocked him on contact.

Though surprised by the shock, Danny quickly recovered and blasted him back with his Ghost Ray. "Haven't you ever heard of personal space!?" Epsilon simply groaned against the wall he'd hit after being blasted back.

"I didn't think a ghost needed personal space." Francis spoke up. "Phantom was it? I read your file."

Danny turned to him and rolled his eyes. "Another file? What's this one say?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." He quipped back before falling flat on his face out of nowhere.

"I was getting bored just standing around." Zak informed as he pulled his claw back from the young agents ankles.

"Why you-" He was cut off by an alarm sounding from his wrist. He quickly checked it and it only seemed to irritate him more. He jumped back to his feet and ran to his father. "I'm ordering a retreat. Fall back." The other agents quickly fell in line as they assisted him with Epsilon and the other agents about the room. "This isn't over." He informed them with a glare before exiting with the others.

Danny watched as they left along with the others in slight surprise before feeling a strange pain on his chest. "Wonder why they were in such a hurry…" Doyle asked as he leaned back against one of the con Chairs.

"What ever gets them off the ship-" Doc stopped when he saw Zak lash out at Phantom without warning.

The halfa easily caught the claw's cable just before it could latch onto him. Phantom then turned to them as he released his grip on the front of his suit. Danny raised a brow with a slightly pained look as he scrutinized the claw. "Hey, what was that for?"

Zak wore a grin as if he'd suddenly won something and no one else knew. "I knew it! You caught it just like before." Danny looked at him in contemplation before it hit him.

"Hey miniman, what's the big idea?" Doyle inquired with an expression that matched that of the boy's parents.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Drew asked him with stern tone.

With the small distraction the Saturdays just gave him, Danny quickly came up with an idea. He dropped the cable casually as he thought back to only hours before. "He probably saw me on TV." Phantom began explaining. "I'm sure this ship gets great reception right?" He asked as he looked at Zak. "I bet you never miss your favorite shows." It took a moment for Zak to get the message, but Danny could tell when he did. "Anyway, see ya.." He said just before disappearing.

He traveled through the ship and reappeared inside the room he and his mother shared for their stay with the Saturdays. He floated over to the bed before grabbing at his chest again. "What was that?" He asked himself in more than slight confusion. He'd been used to the itchy rash but just now it was more like a burn… "Is this thing getting worse?" He then quickly unzipped his suit to check on it. Even with the poor lighting he could tell it was indeed getting worse. Now he not only had this to worry about, but now that Zak had figured him out, he was going to have to get creative about how to keep him quiet.

* * *

 **So yeah, I'm sorry about this one mostly because I think I characterized them pretty badly. The GIW are easier in my opinion. Anyway, if you were curious about that part at the end, please refer to the end of the previous chapter and maybe you'll figure exactly what went down between Danny and Zak. It was supposed to be subtle, but if you really want to know just ask.**

 **Also, as of this chapter, I have officially caught up with what I have already typed. I'll do my best to update next week, but no promises. This will only be updated on Saturdays though, so sorry if I can't get it by next week. Schools getting pretty tough and I have both a project and a paper to do.**

 **Thx for reading and I hope you'll ask questions or tell me what you think in a review.=^-^=**


	11. Chapter 11 - Mental Block

**So finally so more right? Sorry I've been pretty busy since the semester is close to the end. For anyone still waiting on my other fics, I"M WORKING I SWEAR! Anyway, so this one is actually pretty long so enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 11 - Mental Block**

* * *

It wasn't entirely clear why the agents suddenly decided to retreat, but the Saturdays took the victory as it was. They'd had too much going on these past few days not to be grateful for it. It was just after breakfast when Doc reported their destination was just about reached. "Go ahead and get ready. We're not going to stay long since the other Scientists, and quite possibly other unwanted guests, probably have it under surveillance."

Drew nodded as she got her sword ready. "I don't doubt it. This is one of the most foolish places to go in this situation, but I need to get a good look at some of my texts to see if what that cat said was true or not. I'm still a bit skeptical in how I could have missed it if it's true, but I'll try anything at this point." She then turned towards the main corridor looking for her son only to find Fiskerton and Doyle leaning by the doorway. "Where's Zak?"

Doyle pointed down the hall. "Said he wanted to talk to Danny about Phantom. It makes sense since Danny's probably seen him in person several times before." He then stood up straight. "Want I should go get 'em?"

"Just tell him to get ready. We're going to use this chance to get some supplies as well." She requested as her brother started down the hall.

"No problem."

* * *

The two boys seemed to be waiting for some sort of que as they waited for the other to finally speak. Zak had been quick to drag Danny away that morning as to not lose his chance, but now that he was here, bringing up the question proved slightly difficult. "Well?" Danny inquired as he crossed his arms. "Are you going to ask first or did you just want me to follow and immediately spill my guts to you?"

"The second one." Zak responded somewhat commandingly as he too crossed his arms.

Danny raised a brow. "Sorry, but it'll take too long just to try and tell you the whole story."

Zak seemed frustrated by the response, but kept his cool. "Fine, you and Phantom are the same person right?" He finished with high confidence.

"Yeah." Danny responded dryly.

"How?" Zak inquired immediately afterwards. "I mean, I guess you guys do look kinda similar and have the same first name…. your last names sound similar, and you sound similar, but" He continued with emphasis. "However you look at it, you guys are obviously different."

Danny took a moment to think about it before posing a new question. "Do you want the simple answer or to you want the elaborate explanation?"

Zak took his own moment to contemplate the choice before deciding. "Let's just go simple."

Danny gave a nod before looking towards the door and quickly scanning the rest of the room. Once he felt safe, he activated his morph ring and it quickly replaced Fenton with Phantom in a bright presentation. It had the desired effect Danny was looking for as he found the younger boy seemingly speechless. The halfa smirked in satisfaction while the boy's amazement held on his face. Once it faded, however, confusion seemed to replace it. "How did you do that? Does this mean you're a ghost?"

"Well I guess that's more of a yes and no." Danny started while still thinking it over himself. "I'm actually more of a half ghost. I can change between human and ghost whenever I want like just now." He then took his chance to change back into Fenton. "It's kind of how your situation is. You're human but also the incarnation of an ancient cryptid. I guess you could also be defined as half cryptid."

Zak raised a brow and held his chin. "So you're half dead? And half alive? Can you even be both like that? It's supposed to be one or the other." Zak tried to argue. This skepticism most likely stemmed from his father's point of view.

"I thought you wanted the simple one?" Danny questioned in slight irritation. "If you want science, my mom has a better theory on that one. I don't know what else to tell you."

Zak didn't seem too broken up by that and continued with questions. "Okay so half ghost super hero, cool. So why the secret? I mean I get the secret identity thing, it's superheroes 101, but why not tell us?"

Danny took a breath before speaking with a serious tone. "Sorry Zak, but I don't go telling everybody about the half ghost thing. My mom didn't even know until yesterday to be honest."

The younger boy seemed really confused by that. "You're kidding me right? Why not?"

Danny wasn't too happy to answer this question in particular as he reached for the back of his neck. "How long have you had your powers Zak?"

The young Saturday was surprised by the question. "Ever since I was born as far as I know."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, that would make sense then. I've only had mine for a year or so. Let's just say that telling my ghost hunting parents that I was suddenly half ghost wasn't really at the top of my list of smart ideas at the time." He then turned to give Zak a pointed expression. "And you can't tell anyone else. Got it?"

Zak shrugged. "Sure, but why not? My parents are Secret Scientists, it's not like they can't keep a secret."

Danny shook his head. "Come on Zak just think about it. Your secret got out somehow, I don't want mine getting out next. You may have a group of scientists after you who care about your wellbeing, or claim too, but I have an entire government agency that would jump at the chance to make me their next big science experiment if they found out; not to mention all the other wackos out there. No, the less people that know, the better."

Zak scratched the side of his head. "Oh….. I guess that makes sense then, but can we at least let Fiskerton in? He did see you shot that laser thing before."

Danny wasn't happy about the idea, but it was better he went ahead and let him in before he tried something like last night again. "Alright fine…"

Meanwhile, an eavesdropper waited in the hall as they continued their talk. Doyle couldn't believe what he'd heard. 'Danny is Phantom…. Crazy!' He thought as he continued to listen. Danny had just agreed to let Fiskerton in when a tap on the ex-mercenary's shoulder made him almost jump. "Whoa!" He let out in a muffled cry, before turning to see Mrs. Fenton with a finger over her lips. "Sorry I couldn't help over hearing…." He whispered with a sheepish expression.

She nodded and motioned him down the hall. "It's alright, I understand." She said with a knowing expression. "Just pretend like you don't know for the time being okay?"

Doyle seemed uneasy about the idea at first, but quickly changed his mind with a casual two finger salute. "Gotcha Mrs. F." If there was anything Doyle knew by now, it was how to keep a secret even if it's from the rest of his family.

* * *

The airship parked over the disheveled Saturday house silently and its occupants swiftly descended inside. "So I'm going to guess that redecorating was on the table at some point?" Danny inquired as he looked at a damaged scaffolding for one of the three branched off sections of the house.

He, Zak and Fiskerton were sent to gather supplies from the utility locker while Doc and Drew looked through the library for clues. "Yeah, but it wasn't even halfway finished by the time the other scientists suddenly started chasing us." Zak responded. Fisk let out an apologetic grumble. (My bad…) "Come on Fisk, it's not really your fault that you somehow made these weird robots that trashed the house."

Danny raised a brow in slight amusement and curiosity. "Rampaging robots huh? Well that's pretty cool. My dad once sucked our house into another dimension while mom went to visit Aunt Alicia."

Zak turned to him. "Really? That must've been awesome." Fisk agreed in excitement. (Yeah!)

Danny gave a shrug. "I guess though I don't really remember it. I was only seven at the time, but my dad wouldn't let me answer the door again until I was ten." He finished with a laugh which was joined by his companions.

"We don't really get people knocking on our door all the way out here, but we're not home a lot anyway." As the two of them finally reach the storage room they were startled by a strange noise. Danny made his way to the wall first as the stay out of sight of whatever was inside while Zak and Fisk peaked inside. He found himself rolling his eyes before joining the boy. "I don't see anything, maybe we're just being paranoid." Zak deduced from the still and empty room.

"Paranoid indeed." They heard from behind. The three of them turned to find one V.V. Argost gazing over them with a twisted smirk.

"The heck!?" Danny sputtered in confusion before Fiskerton jumped in front of Zak and growled.

"What are you doing here Argost!?" His tone was subdued as to not attract any unwanted attention.

The television star rubbed his chin with a dramatic expression. "Yes, a very astute question my young Saturday, but I have a better one. What are you doing here? Certainly your family knows how easy a target this ruin is?"

"What's this all about Zak?" Danny jumped in after being frustrated by his confusion. "Isn't this the guy in that TV show you were watching last night?"

Argost jumped at the mention and wore a surprised expression. "So you have been watching it seems. I was beginning to think you had decided to renege on our little deal."

"Not yet." Zak shot back.

Argost gave a chuckle. "Well then, I ask again, what are you doing here? The Auizotle happens to reside a whole hemisphere away."

Fiskerton growls deeper in response to his attitude but the man ignores it. "That has nothing to do with you! We have our reasons for being here, and your 'lessons' are just going to have to wait!" Zak shot back at the pompous man with air quotes. "Now get out of here before my parents see you!"

Argost then raised his finger as he sifted through his sleeve with his free hand. "Tsk tsk tsk, why such a hurry? I couldn't possible leave before show and tell." He informed as he pulled out a strange green medallion. The green skull bore red eyes which glowed along with the rest of it as Argost held it out towards Danny.

In a flash the confused teen was involuntarily transformed into his ghostly alter ego to the surprise of the other boys. "What the heck!? What did you do to me!?" Danny demanded after looking over his form and balling his fists.

Argost chuckled again. "It may be show and tell, but this is too good a development to simply give away like that." He mused before jumping back. He quickly threw down a ball which exploded into smoke to cover his getaway.

As Zak and Fisk dashed forwards after him Danny grabbed them both to stop them. "No!" He declared as a very familiar blue ghost cat appeared in the smoke. " _You cannot trust him young host of Kur! He is a villain!"_ While Zak tried to figure out the words of the strange dialect Danny found his attention fixed on the ghost. " _Please ghost child, you mustn't allow this to pass! I know you see him for the villain he is!"_ She then disappeared after Argost.

"What the heck was that all about!? What was that sound it was making?" Zak practically yelled in frustration while Fisk rubbed his chin in thought. He then tried to mimic the sounds but fail miserably.

Danny continued to look down the hall. "You couldn't understand her?" He questioned with a raised brow.

"Of course not. It was like hearing gibberish through a fan."

Danny scratched his head in confusion. He had no problem understanding the cat and she seemed to speak in perfect English. "What was it then?" He wondered to himself.

"By the way, how did you know that cat was there?" Zak asked as he put his claw away onto his belt. "You grabbed us both before the ghost cat even appeared."

Danny turned back to him and nodded. "Yeah, I felt my ghost sense. I can almost always tell when a ghost is nearby, and where it is."

"You can 'sense' a ghost? Like feel it and not see it?" Zak asked for clarification.

"Yeah. It's like a sixth sense. Automatic no matter what I'm doing." The halfa explained a bit more. "I don't really know how else to explain it."

Zak seemed to be thinking about it rather seriously as Danny released his ghost form. Fiskerton then approached them both holding a box and grumbled. "Oh right…. Supplies." Zak realized as he turned back to the room.

* * *

"Be sure to let Ulraj know we're leaving again, and the sea serpent will probably do the same." Doc requested as Drew entered the hanger. The quick supply run went off with no incident aside from the boy's strange run in. The three of them are keeping their mouths shut of course while the Saturday parents get the ship underway.

"Excuse me Mrs. Saturday, but have you seen my mom around?" Danny asked as Doyle closed the hatch door behind the teen.

"She's in the lab right now. She said something about going over the energy readings she recorded last night, but I didn't get all of it." Drew informed promptly as she began to ring the Kumari King on the video phone.

Danny scratched his head as he headed off towards the lab. "Readings?" As he entered the room he immediately noticed the frustrated expression on his mother's face. "What's up mom?"

She turned to him with a lite smile. "Oh hey Danny. How was the supply run?"

"It was okay, nothing happened." He said smoothly with practiced ease. "So what are you looking at?"

Maddie made a few key strokes and sighed in frustration. "These energy fluxuations from last night. That whole incident with Epsilon got me thinking. Why would they leave so quickly? They didn't even seem to grasp how outmatched they were and yet they left at the drop of a hat." She then pulled up a graph. "Around 3 this morning I got a huge reading on the Speeder's onboard computer, but I can't seem to figure out the source. It's like the ones from Greenland and even back in Amity Park, but this one just appeared out of nowhere. No matter how many times I run the numbers it's just impossible. The closest I've gotten were several hits throughout the ship, but it was moving too fast; very unnatural." She finished as she shook her head.

Danny looked over the graphed data in slight confusion. "So whatever was happening in Amity Park, then Greenland was happening in the area around the ship last night?" Danny tried to piece together.

"Yes, but I can't seem to figure out how." She took a breath to think. "It's making me think more and more about what that ghost said. Maybe the Ghost Zone is reaching out somehow and causing these unnatural readings to occur, but why? And why in that spot?" As Danny took a moment to think over the question he found himself feeling nervous. He didn't know why, but it bothered him.

* * *

Doyle looked over his sister's shoulder as she flipped through an old and ratty text. "Someone doesn't take good care of their text books." He teased much to Drew's annoyance. There had been a very large and damaging crack along the back wall of their library and so many of the books had been damaged even more than the one she held in her hand.

"Considering it has lasted several hundred years already, I think I deserve a little leeway on its condition. Besides, I'm not completely sure if it's what we need or not."

"Then why take the risk and bring it out of the house?" He inquired as he crossed his arms.

Drew shook her head. "It was all I could think of at the time that could maybe help. Remember what that cat Gaia said? She said Kur wasn't evil and that there had been other incarnations of him."

Doyle raised a brow. "Okay, and?"

"Drew has a theory." Doc started in as he headed over towards the flight consol. "If what that cat said was true, and Kur had other incarnations that weren't evil, then if we can find some evidence-"

"We can get those other egg heads off mini-man's tail." Doyle finished with enthusiasm. "Sounds good. I'm game."

Drew shook her finger before returning it to the pages of her ancient text. "Just hold on. First we have to figure out where to go. This text is supposed to be from the ancient Mesopotamian area; the Fertile Crescent."

"That mean it's about Sumerians?" Doyle asked while feeling like he knew the answer.

"Yes and no." Drew responded. "While it's supposed to date back to that time, this transcription is actually about a lesser known civilization that was later conquered by the Sumerians. There isn't much of any other record of them in existence which is why I never thought to look here for information on Kur." She flipped through the pages a bit. "There is also no form or mention of Kur in this text anywhere."

"Then how does that help if it doesn't have anything to do with Kur?" The young ex-mercenary questioned in confusion.

"I never said that." She corrected. "As a matter of fact, this would have never lead me to think of Kur until yesterday, so I can understand your confusion. According to this, the Sumerians called this smaller civilization, the Children of the Earth, and they were actually conquered a short time before Kur was supposed to have risen up to ravage the ancient world. While the dates are questionable at best, I find this to be very persuasive towards the idea of a connection." She continued as she turned a page and showed off an ancient image. It depicted a blue spirit which resembled a large cat ever so slightly. "Look familiar?"

"Ghost cat?" Doyle guessed with a pointed finger at the picture.

"That's what I was thinking. Also, the name Gaia referred to 'mother earth' in Greek Mythology. The Greeks had renamed many places in the areas of their empire including the area here which is now referred to as Mesopotamia."

"Does that mean were going to Greece?" Zak asked as he entered the room with Komodo following close behind.

Doc gave a nod. "Yup, but we won't know exactly where until we can decipher that map."

Drew held down the map to show him. The young Saturday took a look for himself at the aged hand drawn map. While he never claimed to be a geography specialist he quickly found something wrong with the compass rose. "So are those the Greek symbols for directions or something?"

Drew shook her head in response with confusion marring her own face. "No, these are Greek letters; Theta, Mu, Omega, and Psi. I can't really place why they're there or why those four are being substituted like that, but I can't accurately read the map until I do. There are no especially identifiable land markings on here aside from an unnamed body of water which could be any of a hundred. The only specification it shows is a small structure of some sort with written directions below it. It's the only part written in Sumerian. 'She calls the morning light to welcome her children and guide them to her loving embrace'."

Doyle laughed at the translation. "Sounds like every other vague and metaphoric clue you find on old maps."

"Which makes it sound really easy." Zak added in. "Morning light is the sun, so all we have to do is look for some land map when the sun rises."

"You're missing the point Zak, we still don't know where to look for this land map, and aside from this text, that ghost cat isn't mentioned in any other texts or mythologies." Drew tried to reason out in slight frustration towards her son's simple attitude.

"The most we can do with what we have is head to the Mesopotamian area and hope for the best." Doc reiterated.

"Or we can go here." Maddie suddenly interjected as she entered the room. She pointed to the navigational map above Doc where she highlighted a specific landmass in the Aegean Sea.

"Why here?"

"Because it's an ectoplasmic hot spot." She confidently responded. "I was doing some comparisons in the lab which eventually lead me to this one in particular. Its signature matches the ghost cat, Gaia, perfectly."

"Then we can go find a land map there." Zak reiterated with a confident smirk.

Drew gave the information a grateful nod. "After last night, I was starting to think it would be a horrible idea to keep you involved, but I'm glad you stayed."

"Coordinates are set." Doc stated with determination. "Now we just have to get there. Hopefully we'll find some answers."

* * *

Zak sat along the edge of the observation deck as his father checked on the navigational controls. He looked listlessly at his Claw while kicking his feet back and forth. Once Doc had finished his check, he got up and saw his son's sullen mood. "Zak?" Zak didn't respond as he sighed for about the hundredth time and laid his chin on the rail. "Okay Zak, what's bothering you?" His insightful father inquired as he leaned over the railing next to the boy.

"Nothing…." Zak responded as he tapped the Claw on the metal bar.

Doc raised a disbelieving brow. "I'm your father Zak. I know the difference between nothing and something." He informed with an air of determination. "It's about your powers isn't it?" He ascertained as he looked down at the boy.

"Yeah…." Zak relented with another sigh. "I was just thinking about how much trouble they've been giving me since Antarctica. Why? They've been hard to use before, but I was really getting used to them. Now I can barely connect with a Cryptid without them going crazy."

Doc gave him an understanding expression. "Well, I can't really tell you how to fix that problem. All the information me and your mother have about Kur is centuries old. I will give you some advice though. In science, many things start out as strange and mysterious. Take Cryptozoology for example. Cryptids are generally thought as make-believe to most of the general population. It takes a determined and inquiring mind to try and prove otherwise and figure out why things happen."

Zak furrowed his brow as he looked up at his dad. "Are you telling to figure it out for myself?" He then shifted his expression towards irritation. "Somehow, I was expecting something different."

Doc shook his head. "That's not quite it Zak. I'm trying to tell you to think about it from more than one angle. Don't look at it as if it were unexplainable and mysterious. Instead, try and reason out what changed; Cause and effect." Doc explained more clearly.

"But you are telling me to figure it out for myself?" Zak questioned yet again with a dry expression.

"In a way…" Doc started which elicited a frustrated groan from Zak.

"That's what I've been trying to do…." He then found his gaze shifting over to the large windows below out of impulse.

"You know you're not alone in this Zak." Doc reaffirmed which elicited a nod from Zak.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just frustrated. This whole Kur thing has gotten way out of hand for me…" He lamented before his attention was drawn to a small form in the distance. He watched curiously as it grew ever larger on its approach. "Uh dad?" Zak started before pointing. "Is that plane headed right for us?"

Doc took a look for himself. "I don't think that's a plane Zak…" He continued after a moment as his eyes widened. "That's a bird!" He then ran over to the navigational controls.

Zak jumped up and followed. "A bird? It's huge! What kind of bird is that?"

Doc took off the autopilot and brought the creature on screen. "Large Bird of prey, possibly a Thunder Bird…." He thought aloud as he looked over it.

"It looks like a giant hawk." Zak stated curiously. Cryptids were generally exotic looking so seeing one like this, which looked rather average aside from its size, was rare.

Doyle then ran through the doors looking rather frantic. "Hey you know there's a….." He stopped once he saw Doc already analyzing the creature. "Oh…. I guess you already know then." He then strolled up behind Doc to look for himself. "So what exactly is a Roc anyway?"

Doc looked up at him. "A Roc?"

"Uh Doyle…. That's a bird, not a rock." Zak tried to correct.

"Sorry mini-man, but Drew says it's a type of bird."

"Really?" The preteen questioned.

"Yeah, I said the same thing."

"A Roc?" Doc reemphasized. "Now this is getting out of hand. These cryptids never go over large bodies of water unless they're migrating, and that's not supposed to happen this late in the year." As Doc redirected the ship to stay out of its way.

"Maybe he's a straggler?" Doyle suggested until another of the birds flew down in front of the ship.

"Whoa!" Doc cried as he made a sharp turn.

"Or not…." The red head retracted as he held tight to the railing.

"Don't tell me I'm attracting cryptids again!" Zak let out in frustration.

"Considering recent events, probably." Doc confirmed as the other one joined the first Roc.

Drew then entered the room with a serious expression. "Did you find all three of them?"

"No." Doc responded. "Just these two. The third one must be close by though."

"How do you know there are three?" Zak inquired as he held tight to the railing.

"These Cryptids travel in squads of three usually. They don't attack in smaller numbers, and they migrate in large flocks, but they remain in smaller groups of three while they do so." Drew informed. "In most cases, two younger Rocs are led by an older male. These two appear to be of far different ages." She pointed out as directed their attention towards the head of the second Roc. "You can tell by the beak and by the tail feathers; they have a darker color."

"But what about that third one you were talking about?" Doyle inquired as the two birds circled back towards their airship. A screech marked its position above the ship as the ship shook violently.

"Looks like its friend found the solar array." Doc noted as he looked over the ship's diagnostic screen. "No damage, but that won't last long."

"Roc talons can tear apart large animals in midair. They're most common hunting method involves scooping up large prey after separating it from a heard. They then share the kill even before landing."

"So what, take out?" Doyle joked at the information.

"Nice." Zak said with approval and a laugh.

"It's only funny until you find yourself ripped from the ground, and the main course for three large predatory birds." Drew added in which stopped their amusement. "Anyway, they usually hunt in large open areas nowhere near the ocean. These look to be from an arid dessert, maybe North American? Unless they migrated up from the Sahara."

"It could be either." Doc concurred. "Considering our position, neither distance is too far from them. They don't seem to have come from the mainland, that's east of us not west."

"Does where they're from matter? They don't look like they're about to stop attacking the ship." Doyle pointed out as he headed over towards a storage closet. "We need to stop them."

Drew quickly moved to stop him. "Are you really going to fly out between three large CARNIVOROUS birds with just a jetpack?"

Doyle gave a shrug. "Well I was going to bring some concussion grenades too, maybe a flash grenade…"

Drew rolled her eyes. "For the love of-"

"Take me Doyle!" Zak suddenly insisted as he put on a helmet.

"What? No!" Drew instantly disagreed.

"Sorry mini-man but I think I'm gonna have to go with the parents on this one."

Zak raised up his claw. "Come on mom, I can do this."

"Zak, I don't think-" Doc was cut off.

"No dad just let me try! You said I have to figure this out right? We're over the Atlantic Ocean, miles from land. These cryptids are only out here because of me, I just want to help them."

Doc let out a sigh. "Zak, I understand you're frustrated, but this situation would not be the best for trial and error."

"Doc the birds!" Drew directed as the flying giants swooped towards them with talons raised.

"I got it!" He called back.

As both of his parents were distracted Zak turned to Doyle. "Come on Doyle, please?" He whispered.

The ex-mercenary seemed cross as he let out a sigh. "Alright, come on." He whispered back as he ran towards the door. Zak dashed close behind in excitement. By the time either of the Saturday parents noticed them, they had already opened the side door and were jumping out. Doyle had Zak fastened to himself tightly as they moved out of the airship's path.

Drew immediately jumped to the intercom. "Doyle! You come back here right now! You are not playing keep away between three giant predatory birds and my son!" She yelled at him with no response.

Meanwhile Doyle took a back glance before turning to look down at Zak who was strapped into the jetpack against his chest. "So what's the plan, mini-man?" Zak remained quiet for a moment which made Doyle a bit worried. "You do have a plan?... Right?"

"That one!" Zak declared as he pointed his claw towards the elder Roc. "Mom said the leader is supposed to be an older one. If I can get a connection to that one with my powers, I bet I could get them to leave." He then unclasped the claw. "Just get me in close."

Doyle chuckled. "Easier said than done mini-man."

Zak looked back at him with a raised brow. "So you can't do it?"

Doyle scoffed at him. "I didn't say that. Just work your magic, and I'll work mine." Doyle then moved and directed himself towards the large birds. The elder Roc seemed to lead the pack as they converged on the smaller humans.

Zak kept his claw pointed as it glowed along with his eyes. "Alright just-" Just as the Roc began to respond, it backed off and let the two younger ones dive for them. "Whoa!"

"Hold on mini-man!" Doyle instructed as he started his evasive maneuvers. The two cryptids were relentless. Every time he'd doge one, the other dove in next giving Doyle only seconds to doge.

"Come on Doyle, we need to get back to that first one. I almost had him."

Doyle grunted as he flipped them out of the way of another swipe of the bird's talons. "Gotta give me a sec….." He leveled off and turned, but the second Roc cut him off. "Man, this would be a whole lot easier if there were only two of 'em." He dove under its wing to dodge the claws only to be surprised by the leader. It screeched angrily as it swiped at them with its talons. "Whoa!" Doyle pulled back to doge. He was able to stay out of reach, but Zak slipped from the torn harness from the force of the jerk.

"Doyle!" He called out.

"Shit! I commin for ya Zak!" He dove down, but with two of the Roc's interfering, he wasn't catching up anytime soon. "That's it! No more Mr. Nice Guy." He growled out as he pulled a concussion grenade from his belt. He tossed it up at one of them and both scattered from the explosion. Doyle took his chance to dive once again for the boy, only now he had competition. The third Roc was diving for him too, and a surprisingly fast pace. He cranked his jetpack up higher and began to catch up, but the bird reached him first. He couldn't stop himself from being relieved since Zak was just above the water when he was caught. "Alright, now I gotta get him back before they start carving." He was quick to get on the tail of the large cryptid who held Zak firmly in its right talon. The young boy seemed intent on escape until the bird lowered its head and took the boy into his beak. "Back off bird!" Doyle yelled as he raised another grenade. He was ready to throw it but stopped when the Roc tossed Zak up and he landed on the large cryptid's back. "What the heck?"

Zak turned back to him and waved his claw hand. "No worries Doyle!" He then took firm hold of several feathers as the bird climbed in the air. "Alright, to that one in front." He directed the bird confidently.

Doyle rode up from behind in confusion. "You get it with your powers!?" He yelled in question.

Zak shook his head. "Actually he's a friend."

The hawk almost seemed to smirk in response. "What's up?" Doyle almost lost his stability at the sudden speech.

"It's Phantom Doyle. He possessed the Roc."

Doyle gave him an impressed expression. "Sweet. I'll get the other one, and you get Zak close enough to the head honcho."

"No problem." Danny responded with confidence. The two of them broke off, and the other young Roc quickly followed after Doyle as expected. The elder one seemed intrigued by the younger Roc who seemed to be coming after him. Danny banked right in order cut off its flight and Zak got his claw ready.

"Just give me a minute." Zak requested as he locked his eyes with the Roc. The bird glared back at him and screeched angrily. "Come on… just… come on!"

"Calm down Zak." Danny instructed as he heard the younger boy grumble in frustration.

"I am calm!" Zak shot back.

Danny turned back to him and saw he wasn't getting anywhere with the cryptid. The calm intrigue that held the Roc was wearing off the more frustrated Zak got. "Nope, we're done!" Danny stated in a stern tone. He flew away from the cryptid which quickly shook away the boy's control when he lost eye contact.

"Hey! What's the big idea Danny!?"

Phantom continued to fly away as he responded. "I was saving you the trouble of losing control. That bird wasn't going to stay calm much longer."

Zak glowered at him. "And what would you know about how my cryptid powers work? I almost had him!"

Danny jerked a bit to stop Zak from continuing. "You may have forgotten, but you tried them on me remember? When I was in the Sea Serpent?"

Zak wore an expression of annoyed intrigue as he nodded. "Yeah, and you told me to buzz off."

"Yeah, I did. I was trying to concentrate and didn't have time to explain, but you didn't really put up much of a fight either."

"It's not like you let me." Zak countered. "I wasn't really expecting it to tell me to buzz off."

Danny chuckled. "I guess not, but my point is that you weren't trying hard enough."

Zak wore a puzzle expression as he pulled up higher on the cryptid's back. "I was trying as hard as I could. My powers have just been acting up since Antarctica and they're harder to control."

Danny took a moment to think before banking again. The elder Roc was keeping its distance from them while the other was still busy with Doyle. "You said you found out about the whole Kur thing in Antarctica right?"

"Yeah." Zak answered in a sullen tone. "It's like they have a mind of their own now."

"Maybe not." Danny started as he adjusted his position with a flap of his wings. "I think it's your problem, not your powers."

Zak seemed bewildered by the statement. "My problem? I never had problems before Antarctica!"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, but you also didn't know you were Kur."

Zak paused at that. "Well I…."

"I'm not going to pretend to know how your powers work, but I know how mine do. I knew from the start that I had ghost powers. The half ghost thing wasn't too far a leap in logic either. You only just found out what your powers were and it scares you. My parents told me ghosts were evil monsters all my life, just like yours probably told you how evil Kur was. You're afraid of using your powers now because you don't want to be Kur."

"Why would I!?" Zak questioned in frustration.

"I don't know. I didn't want to be half ghost either, but I can't help it."

Zak looked over towards the air ship which had been following the confrontation with the Rocs. "These powers do nothing but cause problems."

"Oh, I know that feeling, but that is your problem. You need to stop working against your powers and use them."

Zak looked at him in scrutiny as if when he was just told was absolute madness. "These powers are…"

"Dangerous?" Danny questioned. "So are mine, but if I don't use them, I can't keep ghosts from going crazy in Amity Park." Danny then took a sharp turn to face the enemy Roc. "Now it's now or never Zak. You aren't the Kur your mom and dad told you about. You control the power, the power does not control you." Danny hovered a moment. "So, ready for another shot?"

Zak gave him a confident smirk. "I've got this."

"Good." Danny then made a B line straight for the cryptid which mimicked the action immediately. The two birds headed for each other like it was a game of chicken while Zak pointed his claw intently on the enemy cryptid. "All right now…" He started as his eyes began to glow. He was calm now unlike before as his glow transferred to the cryptid before him. "I don't want to fight." He expressed. The cryptid seemed deterred a bit, and broke off completely after a moment more. It remained hovering in the air as Danny banked around it. "Good Roc. Now I need you and your friends to get back home. You don't need to come to find me anymore." The bird cocked its head to the side. "Yes, go home." After a moment the Roc complied and let out a screech. This seemed to call back the other Roc who was pursuing Doyle.

"Aw yeah!" Doyle cheered as he approached the huddled birds. "I knew you could do it mini-man."

Danny gave a nod in agreement. "Go ahead and grab him so I can get out of this bird would ya?" Doyle complied with a two finger salute. "I'm on it." He grabbed Zak up easily before the bird seemed to falter a bit.

After Zak, and Doyle were out of the way, the young Kur directed the birds away. "Alright now guys, go straight home, got it?" They seemed to get the picture and flew away peaceably.

* * *

 **So I hope you enjoyed! I know lot's of you were curious about Argost, and as you read, he's still here. Also, I thought i should go about getting Danny and Zak to work together a bit more. Since Danny has known his powers from the beginning, I figured he'd be good at giving advice you know? Danny knows he's not evil and so he could give Zak a push. Yeah it's a mentor moment and there will be more so deal. Zak's got his own bag of tricks to teach so look forward to that too.=^-^=**

 **As always, questions are welcome and I love to hear what ya'll think!=^-^=**


	12. Chapter 12 The Two Watchers

**Sorry, but Since this is my newest story, it's not at the top of my update list. I apologize for making you wait, and this chapter isn't very long, but it's important, and I hope you enjoy all the same.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 12 - The Two Watchers**

* * *

When Doyle brought Zak back into the ship Drew was the first to meet them. Doc wasn't very far behind, but couldn't even attempt to break through the hug his wife was giving their son. "Oh Zak!" She started in relief. "You don't know how happy I am that you're okay." She then held him away with a stern expression. "What were you thinking!?"

"Those Rocs could have torn you limb from limb." Doc added in.

"I was thinking of cause and effect." He revealed as he held his claw.

Doyle gave a nod. "Yeah, those birds won't be coming back."

Drew raised a brow. "You mean you used your powers to do that? Is that how you were riding on the Roc's back?"

"And I got the lead Roc to leave." Zak explained. He then looked towards his dad. "I think I get it now. I've been thinking of my powers from the wrong angle."

Doc seemed intrigued. "So you worked it out on your own?"

"Sort of… The bird did give me a hint."

Doc seemed puzzled by the statement as Drew stood up. "I'm glad you seem to be figuring them out Zak, but that was still one of the most reckless things you've ever done!" She scolded, but with a less stern expression. She then turned to Doyle. "And I can't believe you did that!" She now seemed more angry at him then she ever was at Zak.

"Hold on…." He defended. "Zak said he had a feeling." He then looked down at his nephew. "He's got good instincts."

"I'm sorry mom, but I needed to do it." Zak apologized with a confident tone. "My powers had been giving me nothing but trouble since Antarctica… I needed to work out the problem." He then turned to his dad. "Just like dad said."

Drew then let out a sigh. "Well do me a favor honey, next time you follow your dad's advice, try not to do it so recklessly." She requested as she rubbed his head. She then turned to Doc. "So what are the damages?"

Doc turned to look over his computer screen. "Some minor damage to the solar cells near the front. I'm thinking a short stop in Morocco wouldn't hurt. The last thing we need is a power failure during a fight."

Drew seemed to agree. "Good point."

* * *

After his parents settled down Zak was able to get away without being punished, much to his own delight. He quickly made his way to the occupied guest room where Danny was working with his phone. Fiskerton was looking over his shoulder as if reading it, but seemed rather lost. "Hey Danny." He called out as he entered. Fisk looked over to him and waved. (What's up?)

Danny looked up from his phone and quickly stashed it away. "Hey Zak, I guess your mom and dad didn't put you under house arrest."

Zak shook his head. "No, but I think my mom was thinking about it. I think she's just glad I didn't get hurt."

Danny gave a nod. "Probably…. So what did you need?"

Zak seemed a bit hesitant to respond before pulling out his claw and looking at it. "Thanks for the help with those Rocs….. They really could have torn me limb from limb if you hadn't come out to help."

Danny raised a brow at the gesture. "No problem Zak, after all, they attacked the whole airship. I would have gotten involved anyway."

"Good point…." Zak agreed as he laid his claw over his shoulder. "But I also want to thank you for the advice…. Believe it or not, my dad was trying to tell me something like that before the birds attacked, but I was too angry to listen."

Danny chuckled. "I know the feeling."

"Yeah you do….. that's why I want you to help me with my powers."

Danny was caught off guard by the request. "You want me to what?"

Zak looked serious as he explained. "Remember Argost, from our house?"

Danny's expression became annoyed. "Oh yeah, that creepy TV guy."

Zak nodded. "Yeah him. After this big fight in New York I was really frustrated with my powers. They only caused me problems even when I tried to use them for good." His expression started to show guilt as he continued. "That's when Argost offered to help me with them."

"Offered? That had to be trap." Danny declared with anger on his face, though not directed at Zak.

"Yeah, he let me know it was for his own advantage too, but who else could I ask? My parents didn't know any more than I did about them. The Nagas wanted me to wage war on humanity…. The Secret Scientists want to freeze me in cryogenic stasis….." He lamented with a sigh. "Argost knows more about cryptids than my parents." Fisk gave him a surprised growl as he pointed at him. "Come on Fisk, you know he does. He's always got something new up his sleeve about Cryptids." He then let out a sigh. "He was going to give me lessons through his show."

Danny seemed to understand now as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Okay, that's why you sneak out at night to watch it. Your parents won't let you, but it's the only way he can really talk to you."

"Basically." Zak confirmed as he heaved another sigh. "But I know he can't be trusted…"

"You're right. He's got creep written all over him." Danny agreed as he thought back to his short encounter with the man. "Especially with how he used that amulet. That thing made me transform before I could even blink, I couldn't resist. That's never happened before."

Zak wore a curious expression. "I forgot about that…."

"No way I could." Danny said as he crossed his arms. "But anyway, you want me to teach you how to use your powers? You said it yourself that I couldn't know how your powers worked."

"But you were still able to help me with the Rocs. I'm not expecting you to know everything…. Just help? I'm thinking Epsilon may have been right when he said I could learn more from someone my own age… or close to it in this case." Zak explained as he placed his claw back on his belt. "You don't have any problems with your powers, and you've only had then for a year. I've had mine my whole life, and I barely know how they work."

Danny seemed to think over the request seriously before what the ghost cat said about Argost came back to him. _"Please ghost child, you mustn't allow this to pass! I know you see him for the villain he is!"_ So far she seemed to be nothing but helpful, and he had to agree with her on Argost. He then thought about how Frostbite had helped him with his ice powers. If he hadn't, Amity Park would probably still be a jungle and he could have frozen to death.

With a few more moments of thought he came to a decision. "Alright." He answered. "I guess I can help you try and figure them out, but you're going to have to figure out the problems before I can try and help with a solution. My powers are still pretty different than yours."

Zak pumped his fist. "Yes!" Fisk clapped from the side with a pleased expression.

"So where do you wanna start?"

Zak paused a moment. "Well…. You already helped me understand why I was having trouble controlling my powers recently. How did you know that was the problem?" The preteen inquired as he took a seat on the floor. Fisk mimicked the action as he listened in.

"Well….." Danny began with slight hesitance. "I had the same problem in the beginning." He revealed in slight embarrassment. "My first month was anything but control, and it's a wonder I was able to keep them a secret at all from my parents. I was so scared of them, and my parents finding out. I would phase through the floor, doors, and out of my own pants….." He grumbled in distaste. "I couldn't control when it happened or where. The more I used them though, the more I realized they were only as dangerous as I let them be. My friends were able to help me keep that in mind." He held up his hand and made it intangible. "Just because I was part ghost, doesn't make me evil or a monster. The powers were a part of me, and I was still me." He finished as he made his arm tangible again. "If you get what I mean."

Zak seemed to understand with a relieved expression. "Yeah… I think I do. What I can do doesn't change who I am." Fisk pat him on the back with a growl of praise. (Of course not.)

"In the great words of Batman, 'It's what you DO that defines you.'" Danny added in with a laugh.

Zak joined in on that one. "Nice."

Danny then let out a breath before becoming a bit more serious. "I also understand how you felt when that Argost guy offered you help."

He admitted to the surprise of both Zak and Fisk. "What do you mean? Some creepy guy offered you help?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, he's also half ghost like me."

Zak jumped at the news. "Another one?! How many are there?"

Danny paused a moment. "Well, three to be technical, but me and him both got our powers the same way. He was the first half ghost. When he found out about me, he told me he'd help me, teach me everything he knew but…. The price was too high. He wanted me to turn my back on my family, and there's no way I was going to do that."

Zak now felt even more guilty as he slumped in his own lap. "So I basically did that by accepting Argost's help…"

Danny was quick to correct him. "No Zak. Plasmius wanted me to renounce my dad and join him. You only let Argost try and teach you even if your parents would be against it. Those are two different things. I know you enough to say if you were given the same choice as me, you would have turned him down."

(That's right) Fisk agreed with a growl. He then gestured to the both of them. (You are the same.)

"I guess so…" Zak seemed to only half agree. "It is a pretty similar issue." He then seemed to remember something as he turned back to Danny. "By the way, I wanted to ask you about last night. What were you doing in the gym? Me and Fisk saw you just standing in there with a staff."

"Yeah I know. Then I followed you to find you watching TV." Danny informed.

"So you did notice us…. I guess that explains how you found out."

Danny nodded. "Yeah. I may not have looked like it, but I was pretty aware of my surroundings at the time. I was doing something my friend Thuban taught me. He calls it Sensory Meditation." He then held his hands out in front of him as if he was holding the Bo staff. "You focus all your normal senses internally and allow your sixth sense to interpret the world around you. At least that's how he explains it. I use it to focus my Ghost Sense."

"Your power to sense ghosts right?" Zak inquired as he remembered the subject.

"Yeah, at first I could only know one was nearby, but now I can home in on it. I can now tell how many, where, and in some cases, how strong a ghost is when it goes off." Danny stated as he listed them off. "While knowing a ghost is nearby, just that isn't always enough. By focusing that sense, I was able expand on it."

Zak seemed strangely curious at the subject. "So you don't have to see them to know they're around?..."

"Yeah." Danny answered as he saw the boy go deep in thought. "Sorry if it still sounds weird, but I don't know any other way to explain it."

Zak shook his head. "It doesn't…. mostly." He scratched his cheek as he thought a bit more. "Exactly how do you do it?"

Danny furrowed his brow. "Uh…. I don't, it's automatic really."

"No the meditation thing." Zak corrected.

"Oh….." Danny realized as he scratched his head. "Well, I focus my thoughts on how I feel when my Ghost Sense activates. Everything else should be blocked out; sound, smell, sight, touch, ect… What you focus on should be something of an instinct or something practically involuntary. It's supposed to make it more related to the sixth sense or something. That's why I decided to use my Ghost Sense." Danny tried to explain with shaky confidence. "I'm probably not the best at explaining it…."

"You're right….. that does sound weird." Zak agreed with a laugh.

"Hey, you asked." Danny shot back in a tease.

* * *

Several hours later, land was just beginning to be visible on the horizon. Fiskerton leaned over the rail in excitement with Zak at his side. "Yeah, I'm hoping to check it out too." He then turned towards his mother who was standing just behind Doc in the pilot's chair. "Hey mom, can we go check out the town?"

She didn't seem too enthralled with the idea as she watched the map on the screen. "That doesn't sound like a good idea Zak. You should stay in the ship in case we have anymore uninvited guests." Her irritation was more than justified with how their last few days have been going.

"I have to agree with your mother Zak. Just stay close and we'll be back in the air by morning."

Zak was instantly disappointed as he slumped over the railing. "Aw come on! That long?" he then turned to the equally disappointed Fiskerton. "What are we supposed to do all day?"

"Hey Zak you commin?" They both turned to Danny who was already headed over the door of the hanger.

Zak let out a sigh in boredom. "I wish…."

The ship gently set down as Danny made his way over to the boys. "What's up? You're the one who said we should go into town."

Fiskerton waved him away with a sulking expression. (You go ahead…)

"Sorry Danny, but going into to town is probably not the best idea right now. We don't need anyone getting curious about the airship."

Doc nodded as he stood up. "You should stay away from the town too."

Though a bit disappointed, Danny didn't really seem all that torn up about it. "Hmmm? I guess you have a point. Oh well."

"Really? Just like that?" Zak wined as he turned to the older teen. "We're stuck here till tomorrow, and you want to stay inside the whole time?"

Danny gave a shrug as he turned back to the door. "Who said anything about staying inside?"

Both Zak and Fiskerton traded confused glances. "Outside?" Zak stated as he slowly realized what he meant. "Oh right!" He dashed after Danny and Fiskerton quickly followed. "Don't worry mom, we'll stay away from the town!"

"Now hold on-" The boys were gone before Drew could finish her protest. She let out a sigh as she reached up to her hairline.

"Would you relax Drew." Maddie suggested as she entered the room. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Danny should be able to keep them out of trouble."

"It's not just that I'm worried about though." Drew revealed as she relaxed a bit more. "But, I guess I can settle."

"We should concentrate on getting those solar panels repaired as soon as possible." Doc dictated as he passed them and headed to the main hall.

* * *

Danny, Zak and Fisk quickly found their way to a secluded part of the shore. "Coast is clear here!" Zak declared as he took a good look around. "And the ship's only over that ridge."

"See, what'd I tell ya?" Danny reiterated as he morphed into his ghostly persona.

"You didn't really say anything though." Zak mused back.

Danny gave a shrug. "Yeah, but you got what I meant. Besides, you would have snuck off to the town anyway if I didn't right?"

Zak raised a brow. "Maybe…" Fiskerton chuckled at that. (He's right.) "Anyway, so what kind of fun can we have out here huh?" Zak began as he paused to think it over. He then looked over the sand of the shore. "Maybe build a sand fortress?" Fiskerton was nodding at the idea before having a wad of snow splat in his face. (Ahhh!) "Where did…." Zak trailed off as he turned to Danny who held a snowball and wore a mischievous smirk. "Game on!" He finished as he held up his claw. "Come on Fisk!"

Unknown to the trio on the beach, two others were watching over them. "It seems they're getting closer." Gaia turned from the observation lens and raised a brow. "You were right." She then chuckled.

"I hope that doesn't come as a surprise." A deeper voice responded from the shadows.

"Oh course not. I'm no fool." She then turned back to the viewing screen.

Zak had just grabbed one of the snow balls and was now swinging it back at Danny. Gaia couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight. Despite all that had happened to the boys, they could still have fun. Fiskerton had gathered up some sand to make sand balls to counter Danny's snow. Her warm smile slowly faded, however, as she began to notice something off in the scene. Fiskerton held up a very large ball of sand to throw onto Danny who was just knocked down by a quick kick by Zak. "Now Fisk!" The Lemurian was just about to toss it when Danny suddenly grasped his chest in apparent pain. "Danny!?" Zak called out in worry while Fisk dropped his weapon to see as well.

The halfa took a breath before quickly forming a snowball and hurling it at the Lemurian. "Psych!" He then quickly threw one at the off guard Saturday for good measure. "Oldest trick in the book guys!" He declared with a smirk.

Both Zak and Fisk shook the snow off with frowns. "Aw man! I can't believe I fell for that!"

"You both did!" Phantom added in as he floated up in a laugh.

Gaia looked on with a serious expression. While Danny seemed to be holding his stomach, he was really still gripping his chest. "The connection is growing stronger." She mumbled to herself before turning back to her company. "By the looks of things, it won't be too much longer before it's complete." She then let out a sigh. "But you wouldn't tell me would you? No, he's your charge after all, as Kur is mine. I trust you know what you're doing." She then turned back. "You would know what's to come more than anyone now wouldn't you Clockwork."

The elder ghost floated up behind her with a grin. "I'd imagine so." He responded with a chuckle. "But even time is not set in stone Gaia."

* * *

 **Like I said, important but short. I hope you enjoyed, and will leave a comment below.=^-^=**


	13. Chapter 13 - Round 2

**Due to a weird issue with my word processor, I unfortunately was not able to post this yesterday as planned. I'm not really sure what it was, but it involved resetting and reinstalling, and screaming, and lots of curse words... anyway, I'm only posting today because the new chapter is finished and I intended to post yesterday. Aren't I nice for not making ya'll wait a week because of computer problems?=^-^=**

 **Ch. 13 - Round 2**

* * *

Deep in the Ghost Zone atop an ancient pedestal sat a most curious artifact; a crown. This crown, was by no means ordinary of course as it was black as obsidian and coated in an otherworldly flame. The only soul around circled the crown with frustration marring his face. "I don't understand! It should have happened by now." One outraged ghost spat in anger. He narrowed his red eyes as he crossed his arms.

" _You should not have returned here Plasmius. It will not do any good."_

The ghost turned to see an annoying blue cat he'd come to know recently. "Leave me alone Gaia! I don't care what you think." He responded with distaste. "I know what I'm doing."

Gaia chuckled. " _Do you now? Well, don't let me bother you then. I was merely checking on the progress of the connection."_ She looked the crown over with intrigue before dashing out of the chamber as quickly as she arrived.

Vlad looked back at the exit and then to the crown. "It couldn't be….."

* * *

Danny, while hiding in the bathroom, looked over the rash on his chest in worry. "It's getting worse…." He stated with a groan as the dark green blemish showed signs of spreading. What had started out as an itchy and slightly discolored patch of skin had now grown twice in size and much darker. He rubbed it with his hand, and winced in pain. "Much worse." He continued as he pulled his hand away.

Earlier in the day, it had gotten so bad he fell to his knees. Although he'd gotten Zak and Fisk off his back easily enough, he doubted they'd be fooled a second time like that. He then felt another sudden spike in pain as he leaned over the sink and gripped his chest. He muffled his groan as best he could so his mom wouldn't hear, but how long could he keep it a secret?

He took a deep breath as he looked back up to the mirror, but paused when he did. Now scrawled in foggy letting was an emblem he knew well, an overlaid CW. "….huh? Clockwork?" He looked around the room curiously as the pain of minutes ago was forgotten. When his eyes fell back on the mirror, a new message was written. "The time is fast approaching." He read aloud in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" He looked down at his chest one more time before zipping his suit back up. "Geez Clockwork. If you need to tell me something couldn't you be a bit less vague and mysterious." His answer was pretty fast when the word 'NO' appeared on the mirror, and Danny let out a sigh. "Of course not…." He then changed back and exited the bathroom.

"Danny?" His mother called just inside their room just down the hall.

"Oh mom… what is it?"

"Were you talking to someone in there?" She asked in slight worry.

"Uh… no, just thinking aloud…." He responded quickly. "Sorry if I bothered you."

"Alright.." She called back with worry still evident in her tone. She could tell he was nervous about something. He sounded like he always did when ever ghosts were mentioned before she'd found out about him. This meant he was keeping something from her, but she'd leave it alone for now. She trusted he knew what he was doing, but her worry didn't go away. If anything it increased.

She'd only known his secret little more than a day, and that was all the time she needed to think of what he'd been doing. She and Jack weren't the only ones who have ever gone after Phantom. Her son had made a lot of enemies. She closed the door and leaned against the wall with a sigh. She was at war between her pride and maternal instincts. Her pride told her to trust that he, as a Fenton, could handle things. Her maternal instincts told her something was wrong. The only problem was she didn't know which one was right.

* * *

The next morning, though a little later than they expected, the airship was finally cleared to continued towards the destination Maddie had set previously. The boys were just finishing lunch when they finally got underway. "About time." Zak stated as ate his last chip. "I thought we'd never get out of here." Fisk nodded in agreement as he yawned. (It's boring.)

"Yeah, but boring is better than chased, and attacked in my book." Danny countered as he leaned on one arm. "I like to enjoy the peace and quiet while I can."

Zak gave a shrug. "Yeah, but at least when the secret scientists show up we're not bored." Fiskerton looked at him with a raised brow. (You want to get attacked?) "Of course not." The boy responded. "I just said it wasn't boring." Fisk seemed to scrutinize him for a moment before grumbling in agreement.

They were then joined by Drew who quickly made her way over to the table. "Hey boys. Enjoy lunch?"

Zak stood up immediately. "Yeah, but when are we going to get to this island anyway?"

Drew saw this question coming. Zak had been restless since waking up this morning. "A few hours maybe. Doc is working out the exact location based on Maddie's data now."

"Was there a problem with it? Mom said she had it pinpointed already." Danny asked in confusion.

Drew nodded. "Well, she said it seemed to jump around, but it wasn't uncommon for the focus of a hot spot to move within a certain area. That's why they are generally so big." She explained as best she could. "Anyway Danny, She asked me to come get you to help her with something." She pointed back through the door. "You'll find her in the lab."

Danny stood up. "Okay, thanks for lunch." He responded before casually strolling to the call of his mother.

Drew then looked at her own boys, but then more specifically Zak. "I'm glad you decided to give Danny another chance. Your father and I have noticed how you two seem less at odds now than back in Greenland."

Zak was surprised at the mention and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it took me longer to realize how much we had in common." Fisk nudged him in the side with a frown. (What are you saying? It's a secret remember?) Zak nudged him back. "I didn't say anything Fisk."

Drew looked up at the lemurian in curiosity. "Secret? What secret?"

"See what you did?" Zak snapped angrily. He then turned back to his mother with an innocent expression. "Nothing mom really."

Drew gave him a slightly stern look. "Zak."

He raised his hands defensively. "Really mom, it's a guy thing. You know, a secret for just us guys. I'd be breaking the bro code if I told you."

Drew could only roll her eyes at that before turning to leave. "Alright, you keep your boy secret then."

Zak then turned to Fisk with agitation and a shake of his head. Fisk simply shrugged. (I didn't mean to.)

* * *

"Mom?" Danny called out as he entered the lab. Maddie was by the counter typing away at the computer. She finished a line before turning to her son. "You needed me for something?" She gave a nod, but paused to speak. The hesitance was obvious to Danny, but he didn't think much of it. "Mom?"

She quickly realized her hesitance. "I wanted to ask you something…. About your powers." She whispered at the end.

Danny seemed a little stiff at the mention, but that was more reflex than anything. Still though, the air in the room did get a bit awkward if for any reason then their own apprehension against accidentally hurting the others feelings. "Sure I guess…." He answered as he rubbed the back of his neck. Since she hadn't asked anything more about his powers since that day she first found out, he hadn't really thought on the idea much. His parents were ghost experts, so they were more likely to be able to tell him stuff about his powers.

"Let's go back to the room right quick then." She suggested, knowing he wouldn't want to risk any of the Saturdays finding out. He followed without a word, and within a few minutes they were back in their room.

"So what did you want to ask mom?" Danny asked with less apprehension as he relaxed. When he didn't get an answer right away he turned to see her still standing by the door. "Mom?"

She seemed conflicted before approaching. "I know I told you that I'd trust you, and not meddle with how your powers work Danny, but I….."

"You're worried." Danny finished for her with a sigh. It wasn't surprising, especially with how she seemed last night. "I understand mom."

She gave him a sad peaceable expression as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Danny, and I'm only asking this because I'm worried, but-"

"Relax mom. Just ask." Danny comforted with only minor apprehension. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it."

His mother seemed nervous but happy as went over to her bag by the bed. "Thank you Danny." She responded as she pulled out a new handheld device. "And I won't be hurt if you say no, so don't feel like you have to do this. I just want to understand your powers a bit more." She expressed with a smile.

Danny seemed a little nervous as he looked at the device. "Okay….. so what is it?"

"This….. well it doesn't actually have a name yet, but your father and I use it analyze a ghost's core readings. A ghost's core is the most important part of a ghost since it controls how a ghost acts, looks, and their abilities." She then seemed to laugh at her explanation. "Though I guess the name would explain that. It's the core of the ghost's being after all." She then pulled out a flat metal disk the size of a golf ball. "I want to analyze your ghost half's core. With it, I can get an idea of what's normal for you. I can then reference back to these readings if anything should happen to you." She finished with worry evident on her face.

Danny furrowed his brow at the explanation. It wasn't like she was trying to make him a lab subject or anything, but he couldn't help but be nervous about it. He then raised his hand to the back of his neck. "This isn't gonna hurt is it?" He wondered with a worried expression.

Maddie couldn't help but almost laugh at that before shaking her head. "No, it shouldn't anyway." She held out the disk. "Normally your father and I tag the ghost by embedding this into the ghost's outer layer of ectoplasm but, that's only because any ghost we've studied never stayed still. We mostly just didn't want it falling off before we could get our readings. Just change and place it as close to your core as you can."

Danny took the disk while he scrutinized it. "I guess that's alright then." He finally agreed as he activated his morph ring. He looked at the disk a moment before looking down at himself. He'd never had to think about it before, but….. where was his core? "Danny? Something wrong?" He looked back to her with a sheepish expression. "Uh…. I uh…" He then remembered Frostbite talking about his ice core a couple months ago. He'd shown him a holographic chart with his core's location being at the center of his chest. "Uh, never mind I got it." He corrected as he placed the disk right over his DP emblem. "This okay?"

Maddie looked over the small reading device a moment before responding. "Well…. I don't think it's getting a good reading, but it could be your suit." She explained as she pointed towards the disk. "Since it's an obviously denser form of ectoplasm to replicate clothing, it could be interfering with the sensor. Try putting in directly on your chest." She finished in suggestion. The halfa picked off the strange metal disk and reached up for the zipper. Just as he began to tug it down, he remembered the rash that rested square in the center of his chest. He stopped and turned away from her with a nervous air. "Danny?"

"Sorry, just give me a sec." He requested as he quickly pulled it down a bit more, placed the sensor, and then pulled it back up as he turned back to his mother. "Alright, got it."

She raised an amused brow at him. "Come on Danny, I'm your mother. I've already seen it all." She stated rather bluntly and to the immediate embarrassment of the teen. "Anyway, let's take a look." She continued, seemly oblivious to the green tinge on her son's face. She took a few moments to look over the readings while Danny just stood in place not really knowing what he should be doing. "Here we go." Maddie finally stated happily as the readings came through like she wanted. His mother's happiness was welcome of course, but it still made him nervous.

He then reflexively reached up to the spot with the sensor when he felt it start to heat up. It was beginning to aggravate his rash which was right under it. "Uh mom, is it supposed to get warm?"

Maddie thought about it before nodding. "I imagine it would since it's using a minor electrical current to analyze your core. You shouldn't worry though, the current is about as strong as bad static shock. Ectoplasm is naturally highly conductive, so the current doesn't need to be strong to be effective."

"Oh…" He responded while rubbing the agitated spot. "So how long will this take anyway?"

Maddie gave him a consolidating wave of her hand. "Maybe an hour or so, not too long." She then placed the device into one of her pockets. "It takes a bit of time to gather enough data for the energy fluxuations, levels, and things like that. Just relax, and don't pull it out of place." She then turned towards the door. "I'm going to go check up on the location of the hot spot again so we stay on course, and then I'll come back by the time it's done." She then paused again and smiled warmly at her son. "And thank you Danny, for understanding. I would never want you to think I would ever experiment on you."

Danny chuckled at that as he floated up and crossed his legs. "I know mom, and if this makes you feel better I'm more than happy to do it." He responded as he rubbed his chest where the sensor was. He watched her leave with half the worry she had when they arrived, and it was relieving. That of course, was only what he felt about his mom. Her test was still making him nervous though it was more likely the rash that was doing most of it. Would it show up strangely on her scan? He heaved out a sigh before floating on his back. "I guess worrying at this point won't help."

* * *

Once Maddie re-entered the lab she found Drew looking over her work. She seemed uneasy about something as she watched the energy fluxuate. "Drew? Is something wrong?"

She turned to the curious ghost hunter with a nod. "Doc's worried about the fog bank we're approaching. We'd need to go through it to make sure we don't miss the island, but we're not even close yet and it's already messing with some of the navigational controls."

Maddie seemed to understand. "Don't worry too much Drew, once the interference hits the level where it would cause problems, the diffusers should fix the problem. I should be able to pinpoint the location better as we get closer too." She then held her chin in though. "Though you should switch the ship to manual just in case."

Drew nodded in agreement. "Good idea. I'll go and join Doc in the cockpit. Just send the navigation data directly there."

"Not a problem Drew." The scientist assured as she began back at the keys.

* * *

The halfa waited in slight boredom as the hour passed slowly. He was hoping to check out the view from the cockpit area, but didn't want to leave in case his mom came back. He then pulled out his phone, and saw it had actually already been more than an hour. "I really hope I only have to do this once…." He groaned in annoyance before spying something odd through the small window. He flew over curiously to see.

At first he didn't spot anything. There was a large amount of clouds around them, and they were only getting thicker which made it hard to see. After a minute though, he spotted what he'd noticed. It was the unique metal shine of an aircraft. "A ship? Out here?" It was riding closer and closer to the airship which only made Danny suspicious rather than curious. "I guess they may not know we're here….." That theory went out the window when it stopped its advance a few meters off the side. It was by then, joined by several others, and they were beginning to look very familiar to the halfa. "Okay…. I'm starting to think this isn't a good sign."

He was proven right when the ship abruptly changed trajectory. Even though he was in the air, the shift was obvious enough for him to be disoriented by it. "Whoa!" He steadied himself in the air and pushed away from the wall so he wouldn't get knocked around again. "Better go check on mom." He declared before flying through the door of the room.

* * *

None of the Saturdays had words for what they saw around them. A small fleet of jets flying all around, and heavily armed. "You don't think it's Epsilon do you?" Doc queried from the navigational controls.

"So fast? It hasn't even been two days." Drew countered with annoyance.

"But who else would it be?" Both of them looked again at their situation with solemn expressions.

"Yo, family!" Doyle shouted as he entered the room. "Anyone seen Zak?"

Drew turned to him immediately. "Wasn't he with you?"

Doyle paused in confusion. "Uh… no. I haven't seen him since lunch."

"He said he was going to get you when the ships showed up….." She then turned to her husband. "You don't think he would-" She was cut off when the boy in question entered rather abruptly.

"Mom I can't… Never mind." The young Saturday finished when he saw who he was looking for. All of them let out breaths of relief at seeing Zak and Fisk not going off to do something crazy.

"Incoming transmission?" Doc questioned in irritation as he activated the video phone above them.

Epsilon appeared on the screen with his standard neutral expression. "Hello again Saturdays. I hope this isn't a bad time."

"As a matter of fact.." Drew countered with a venomous gaze.

"No matter, I will only take a moment. I will again propose that you transfer young Zak into our custody. You must understand, he will be far better off once he can use his powers effectively, and we will keep him safe of course."

"And we'll once again tell you no. Zak is staying with his family. We will protect him!" Doc growled back with distaste.

Epsilon seemed exasperated, but not deterred. "I'm sorry, but if you continue to be difficult I simply have to use a little more force. You see the heavily armed airships are just waiting for my signal before blasting yours out of the sky. I would really hate to think of the repercussions that could come out of that." His tone was a smug as ever which was not helping his argument with the Saturdays at all.

"You want a dog fight Epsilon? Bring it on!" Drew countered in anger. She then dashed for the door. "I call the Griffon!"

Doc looked a little annoyed at how quickly she called dibs, but quickly moved his concentration back to the smug agent. "I think you're underestimating our ship Epsilon. Feel free to continue." He quipped before turning off the video feed. "You ready Doyle?"

The young man strapped on his jetpack with a cocky grin. "Born that way."

Zak and Fisk quickly ran up behind him. "What about us?"

"You're both staying put for now." Doc ordered. "This is an air fight, and you don't need to accidentally fall several hundred feet to the water." He informed in a serious tone.

"Doc? What's going on out there?" Maddie called from the lab through a smaller video screen to his right.

"Oh Maddie. We're under attack. Epsilon came back with some friends. They've got the ship surrounded."

Maddie was instantly angry at the mention of the agent. Her first impression from the morning before was fresh in her mind. "Where's Drew?"

Doc looked over the cargo bay controls to release the Griffon. "She took the Griffon out to thin their forces."

"I'll go too then." She declared. "The speeder was built for more than just flying at high speed." She then turned off the video.

"So that's Drew, Doyle, Maddie, and us. Four against..."

"A lot." Zak finished for him. "But isn't that pretty standard for us?" He quipped in confidence.

* * *

Once he couldn't find his mom in the lab, and found the Speeder gone from the hanger, Danny then headed towards the flight deck to see what was going on. The already rocky movements of the ship weren't getting any better as he kept intangible as he flew. The chaos that greeted him when he arrived wasn't unexpected he saw several different crafts flying around outside while Doc was trying to avoid the stray fire. "Looks like someone else is picking a fight now." He muttered to himself as he thought on his next move.

Zak and Fisk were watching the fight in excitement while keeping hold of the hand rail. They shouted in triumph as two of the jets were blasted down; one being by Doc. "Aww yeah!" (Take that!)

"Don't mind if we do." An annoyingly familiar voice stated as they kicked open the main door. Francis and Epsilon stood with their agents barreling through around them. Doc turned back in anger while still trying to keep the ship from getting hit.

"How'd you get in here!? The security lockdown should gone off." Zak demanded with his claw raised.

Francis chuckled smugly. "Yes, but only if we'd broken in after it was initiated. We were aboard long before this-"

"That's enough Francis. It's time for business." Epsilon scolded as he stepped forwards. "Now I've tried being civil, but our window of opportunity is small." He gestured forwards to his agents who charged for the boy.

Fisk jumped in front of him protectively and growled. "Zak!" Doc called as he tried to bring up any of the others on the video phone. Static was his only answer which very well meant it was being jammed. He put the ship back on a simulated course and jumped from the controls with his battle glove at the ready. While the Saturdays watched the approach of the agents they were quite confused to see them all lose their footing and slide about.

"Maybe I should put up a sign from now on." Phantom quipped as he became visible at the forefront to face Epsilon. "But that's not as fun to watch." He finished as his hands lit up in energy.

Zak jumped to his side with Fisk ready to fight. "Alright! Let's do this!"

Francis wore a smirk at the boy's confidence. "You honestly think we didn't take Phantom into account this time?" He asked as he pulled a new weapon. This was blaster Danny was very familiar with at the hands of Amity Parks more annoying government agents. The other agents quickly pulled out their own as they recovered from their encounter with the ice.

They all fired at once, and it was all Danny could do to put up a shield in time to block. "Damn….." He cursed under his breath as his shield held under the energy. He'd been sure to put it around the others as well which only added strain because of the increased size. "So, any ideas?" He asked as he turned to the others.

Doc looked at the barrier in intrigue as he spoke. "Looks like we're backed into a corner. Not only did they bring weapons specifically to counter you getting involved, but these other ships were probably to split us up, and leave Zak less protected."

Zak wore a scowl as he looked through the translucent barrier at Frances. "I don't need protecting. I'll show that stupid Francis." He retorted before stepping forwards.

"Oh no you're not." Doc countered and was backed up by Danny placing an arm in Zak's path.

"That's exactly what they want you to do. It's not that I doubt you could beat him, but those agents aren't really going to side back and watch you two fight."

"Exactly." Doc agreed as he watched the agents take turns straining the shield. "Epsilon doesn't fight any more fair than Argost or anyone else we go up against. He does what he has to, to complete his mission." Fiskerton then pointed at the strange object Epsilon and his men were putting together behind the others who were still firing. (What's that?)

Danny turned to see for himself just in time to see it pointed at him. The claw like device launched from the base and latched onto the ecto-shield. "Tell me that's not-!" His whole body went live with electricity as it jumped from the claw through his energy shield. His shield only barely kept from deteriorating as the halfa gritted his teeth through it. This wasn't the first time he'd been electrocuted, and this was nothing like his worst.

"Phantom!" Zak called out as he reached to help him stay on his feet after seeing him finally falter a bit.

"Don't touch me! Don't touch the shield! None of you!" He ordered back as he reinforced his stance.

"Yes, our people would be most disappointed for such a valuable asset to be wasted." Epsilon stated cooly upon his approach. "But I must say Phantom, you're resistance is most impressive. This was designed to immobilize a ghost in less than five minutes, and you've already held out for seven. I can only imagine how it feels to have thousands of volts of electricity flowing through your body."

"Does a ghost feel pain?" Francis added in with minor intrigue.

Epsilon then checked his watch in impatience after Phantom still refused to fall from the onslaught. "This is taking too long." He stated as he gestured to the others. "Set it to max, and all blasters are to fire." The order was followed swiftly, and it only took a minute or two for Phantom to finally have to take a knee. It felt like his whole body was on fire especially around his chest; no doubt the rash acting up at the worst time. As soon as the barrier showed signs of deterioration he called his men off. "Finally." He stated as Phantom got down on his hands and knees.

Fisk and Doc quickly jump forwards to cut off the approaching agents, Epsilon included. "You'll get to Zak over my dead body Epsilon!" Doc shouted as he knocked back an agent to get to their leader.

Francis' attempts at capture were thwarted by Fiskerton as the lemurian used one agent to knock back the others to bar the boy's path. Danny could barely think through the pain, but was still able to notice Zak out of the corner of his eye. The boy, strangely enough, had retreated from the fight and seemed to be looking out the windows. " _You must leave. Come here to me."_ He heard as the blue cat appeared before the boy. Zak was confused by the words since he couldn't understand them while Gaia simply dashed over to the window. " _You must come!"_ She then caught the halfa's eye and beckoned to him. " _Help me!"_ She was asking for help? Why did she need his help? If she wanted to, couldn't she grab Zak?

"Who exactly are you?" The boy wondered as he watched the confusing gestures of the ghost.

 _"Jump!"_ She ordered him as she dashed through the glass, though Danny was the one who heard correctly. They were several thousand feet above the water, but that didn't really go through Danny's head at all as he forced himself intangible and through the floor.

Francis saw and quickly caught sight of Zak on the lower deck. Due to his smaller size, he dashed under the legs of the lemurian as the other agents held him off, and jumped down with them. "You're not getting away this time!"

"Sorry to disappoint!" Phantom shouted as he grabbed Zak before Francis could get close.

"Whoa!" The boy protested as they both went out into the darkening clouds outside. Danny was flying down with Zak in a failing grip as his chest flared up with pain again. The clouds grew thicker and began to thunder in an unnatural way was Danny began to lose hold of his conscious thoughts. "Danny?" Zak called in worry as he felt himself slip a bit in the halfa's arms. He turned to see Phantom completely unconscious as his arms fell and they both continued to plummet, only out of control by this point. As they began to get separated Zak tried to use his claw to pull Danny back over, but to his own frustration, it passed right threw and the effort only proved to put more space between them.

"Come on Phantom wake up!" The shout was in vein though as Danny failed to stir, and faded from sight through the obscuring clouds. The young boy was now faced with a fear he'd never thought much into. He was free falling, and with this dense fog, none could see him to help. The sounds of the waves below grew louder on his approach, and panic began to set in. "Help!" As if to answer his cry a ball of orange light began towards him with the roar of an engine behind. It was too small to be a ship, and Zak's hope was coming back to wash over him. "Doyle!" He called out in chorus with a roll of thunder. To his own horror, the orange beacon of hope he'd called out for slowly began to move away. "No! Doyle!" He screamed before plunging beneath the waves of the open sea.

* * *

 **I can't decide if I'm being nice or cruel by posting such a cliff hanger, but I enjoyed in none the less. I alwyas liked how Epsilon was like the bad guy they didn't have to fight all the time since in most cases he was an 'ally'. This of course is questionable due to all the times they've ended up fighting... regardless though, his agency is like a competent GIW from what I could gather. (Only not specialized for ghosts of course)**

 **BTW, that moment with Danny and his mom. I'm sure I'm not the only one to experience that. That line was actually inspired by my mom, since she's said it word for word on multiple occasions. I thought it would be funny. (Hopefully you know what I mean.)**

 **Hope ya'll liked it and will give me your comments and questions in a review! (Next chapter is full of explanations for those who have been waiting for them.)=^-^=**


	14. Chapter 14 - Uncharted Island

So **I know it was quite the cliffhanger I left you on, and I'm really happy about how much love this story is getting. Every comment I read gives me new ideas for this story. (I'm mostly winging it) I'm sorry about the long waits, but I write best when I think over the events several times, and I'm glad that ya'll are still reading. Please enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 14 - Uncharted Island**

* * *

The waves were calm along the serene beach. They rolled up a couple of feet before crashing against the soft sand that seemed strangely pure with no shells in sight. A young boy groaned to life from the shore as he forced himself to roll onto his back. His brow furrowed when he opened his mouth only to taste sand, and his eyes shot open. "Huh?" He let out as he sat up at a moderate pace. "What?..." He asked himself before remembering the sting of the water as he splashed in before. "Holy crap!" He looked himself over and then stood up. "I'm alive!?" He asked at first before shooting both fists into the air. "Yes! Not dead!" He then felt slightly dizzy at the sudden strenuous movement. "Oh…. Not fine either…." He grumbled as he shook it off in a kneel. His eye was quickly drawn to a familiar object as it lay awash on the shore only a few feet away. "My Claw!" He shouted in surprise as he made a more moderate motion for it.

He took it in his hand and then checked to see if it still worked alright. After clutching the claw a few times he took a look around again and raised a brow. "Okay, so not dead, found my claw….. now where exactly am I?" He wondered aloud as he strode further inland. The beach he'd washed up on was curved in both directions though on one, it seemed to come back out like a cove. The horizon gave nothing but water, and that only left the land itself. The forest was rather thin around the edge, but quickly filled with brush, and vines to obscure his attempts to see very deeply inside. "Creepy forest on creepy deserted beach…. Great." He muttered as he walked the forest edge in hopes of spying something that looked like civilization.

Fifteen minutes gave nothing, not even any animals. "Hello!?" He shouted in mild frustration, but received no answer. He kicked a small stone, and watched it roll before catching something interesting in his sight. "Is that a… paw print?" He stepped over to it to get a better look. They were rather big, and the toes were pretty close to the pad. "Let's see… mom told me that usually means a large cat..." He reasoned aloud as he thought back to the little lessons about animals his parents had taught him over the years. Knowing what was nearby, often helped them find cryptids, and knowing their tracks from other animals was invaluable.

He followed the line of prints with his eyes before something strange hit him. "Why are these so far apart?" With at least ten feet between them, that was more than strange especially with how shallow they looked. An image of the ghost cat flashed into his mind like a bolt of lightning. "Ghost cat?" He muttered as he began to follow them. The ghost cat was the reason he was down here in the first place! Something it told Danny made him grab him, and then…. "Whatever, let's just see where these go." It couldn't really hurt at this point.

* * *

"Mrs. Saturday! Can you hear me!?" The voice was familiar, but strange as well. Her ears were ringing as her eyes tried to take in the blurry scene around her. She felt around, and found the familiar controls of the Griffon, and tried to keep her head straight as well. "Please Mrs. Saturday! Answer me!" Outside the cockpit of the crashed vehicle one Danny Fenton leaned over the reinforced glass dome. He'd awoken alone in his Phantom form which he quickly abandoned due to the throbbing in his chest. A short stroll along the beach, and he found the Griffon imbedded in the sand. It didn't look destroyed, but not about to fly again either.

As he looked over through the glass her movements seemed confused, and sluggish. He slammed his hand on the glass to draw her attention. "Mrs. Saturday!" She didn't seem too aware though after a moment she finally looked up. "At least she can hear me…." He said in minor relief as he looked for the control to release the windshield. He found nothing though most of the controls looked offline anyway. He took a moment to consider going ghost, and pulling her out, but pain from earlier changed his mind. Using his powers as a ghost seemed to make it worse whenever it happened. "Better to save them for an emergency…. Maybe if I don't go ghost?" He thought aloud to himself in a soft voice. He took a good look at the disoriented scientist. She seemed dazed, and…. Was that blood?! "That settles that." He stated as he reached into the aircraft with his intangibility, and pulled the woman back through with all the strength his human form could muster. He was more than thankful she wasn't nearly as heavy as Doyle was as he helped her crawl out of the cockpit. He guided her down the few feet to the soft sand before she fell to her knees and sat down holding her head. "Mrs. Saturday?" He called again as he kneeled down to check on her. "Are you okay?"

She squinted her eyes as she tried to focus her vision on the figure before her. "Danny…?"

"Yeah, it's me." She tried to stand, but quickly lost her balance. "Whoa, just sit for a minute. I think you hit your head." Danny explained as he kept her from falling to the side.

She pulled her hand away from her head and saw a few blood spots on her fingers. "Ther…. There's a first aid kit…"

"In the plane?" Danny finished for her as she tried to speak straight.

"Yeah…." Her head was getting clearer, and the painful pulse of a bruise was now making itself known.

"Got it." Danny stood and climbed back up to the plane. He phased into it, and had no trouble finding the little box marked with a red cross. He leaned over one of the seats, and quickly regretted it when his hand slipped against a torn piece of metal. "Shit." He groaned as he looked at the small gash it left. It was about an inch long and curved between his thumb and index fingers. "Come on…" He let out before readjusting himself and grabbing the box. He pulled out of the ship with the box as he sucked on the new cut to ease the sting. He dealt with this sort of thing all the time, so by now it was more annoying than anything else. He leaned down to give her the box. "You need some help?"

Drew shook her head. "No, I think I can handle it now. What about your hand?"

Danny shrugged, and looked at the bold red highlight of his cut. "No thanks, it should be fine. It's just a scratch." He then looked around the area. "Anyone else around here?"

"I don't know. You're the first one I've seen since the Griffon lost power in that storm. The next thing I know, you were pulling me out of the ship." She explained as she dabbed her minor cut with disinfectant. It was pretty common for small injuries to happen on any one of the Saturday family excursions, though more so in the last few months. Drew spent the next few minutes applying first aid and a bandage to the cut before finally standing up.

Danny watched her easily shake off what could very well be a mild concussion. "I'm guessing this sort of thing happens all the time?" He gestured to the crashed aircraft.

"More recently, but yeah." She took a good look around the deserted beach. "If you ended up here maybe someone else did too. What happened to the airship during that storm?" Drew asked as she inspected the horizon.

Danny tensed at the question before he thought up a quick cover. "I… I'm not really sure? I woke up on the beach about half an hour ago." Most of that was really the truth since he didn't know what happened, and indeed woke up on the shore alone. It was then that it finally hit him. "Oh no…"

Drew turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"I.. uh well I was just thinking we were stranded in the middle of nowhere? It kinda sucks…" The statement seemed more than odd to the woman at least with how it was said. He then turned to look down the other side of the beach. "I think I'll take another look around to see if anyone else washed up like us." He quickly decided without consulting her. He made haste back down the beach from where he came hoping to find Zak nearby. "I must have dropped him…" He reasoned in anger as he ignored any protests shouted by the Saturday.

Drew let out a sigh as she watched him go. "I suppose he's responsible enough to know what do in a situation like this." She reasoned. He'd already displayed rational decisions in the face of an emergency with Doyle in the snow storm. She then turned to the wrecked Griffon with a tired expression. "This is getting messier and messier by the day." She grumbled as she headed back over to it.

Checking to see if any of the emergency equipment still worked was as good a plan as any. As she climbed up on top of the Griffon she quickly noticed the hatch was still firmly in place. "Did he close it back?" She thought aloud before feeling around the edge just under the sand. A shaky snap answered that question before sand piled into the Griffon from the new opening. "He never opened it….? But how…" She turned back his way. "How did he pull me out without opening the hatch?" She couldn't say for sure, but she could have sworn he pulled her right out of the top.

* * *

The longer Danny followed the shore, the more worried he got. He had made his way back to where he'd woken up in half the time he took to leave, but found no evidence of anyone else being there. His next thought was to try further down the beach. "Maybe the tides separated us…?" It was a stretch, but better than the alternative in his mind. Another fifteen minutes passed before he noticed the sand up ahead was disturbed. Since the rest of the beach was unnaturally clean and smooth, this meant something was here recently. Danny circled the large faded impression in the sand before noticing a feint long indention. In this situation a stick would come to mind, but this beach had nothing on it, even shells. "Maybe this was Zak?" The long impression could have been left by the weird claw weapon he uses. He followed what was left of the boy's shoe impressions up to the edge of the forest before he began to hear an engine sound. He looked up and noticed a large flying object come from over the trees. "The Speeder!" He quickly identified as he dashed out of the shade of the trees. "Mom!" He called out as he waved his hands up high.

She seemed to notice him as the Speeder turned and lowered to hover over the ground. "Danny!" She had barely set the vehicle in park before jumping out to hug her son. "I was so worried about you!" She held his head over her shoulder in an air siphoning hug. "After Dr. Saturday told me what happened to you on the ship with those creeps, I thought you might be really hurt." She finally released him a bit as she held his shoulders. "You're not hurt are you? If that miserable Epsilon left one scratch I'll-"

"Calm down mom!" Danny pleaded with an embarrassed smirk. "Geez, I'm fine."

She looked at him a moment before smirking herself. "You're right." She relented with a calming breath. "But I can't help but worry." She then took a moment to look him over more carefully in her standard worried mom fashion.

Danny let out a sigh as he let her get it out of her system. "So anyway, do you know where we ended up?" Danny asked as she completed her inspection.

She stood up straight and looked around the beach. "I couldn't tell you on a map right now, but my scans indicated we are at the center of the ectoplasmic hot spot we were headed for. Solomon, and Doyle are back at the Airship working on the damages from that storm. Now that I've found you, we only need to find Drew and Zak."

Danny turned to look down the beach. "Actually, I ran into Mrs. Saturday further down. The little fighter jet she was in crashed into the sand; she's alright though."

Maddie turned her gaze to follow his. "Good, we should go and pick her up as soon as we can. The faster we regroup, the less chance Epsilon and his cohorts have of catching one of us out here." Danny hadn't paid them much thought, but she was right. If he and the Saturdays made it through the storm then those agents might have as well. Maddie took the controls back as Danny sat down beside her.

He seemed fine like he'd said, but she knew different. She knew something was going on with him that he didn't want to tell her, and it wasn't just his attitude that gave it away. After joining up with Doyle and Solomon to find her son missing, she quickly remembered the scanner he still wore. She used the signal it gave off to track his relative location on the island. She also looked over the readings it collected that night. She wasn't about to claim to understand how his ghost half really worked, but the readings scared her a little. She wanted to ask him about it so badly, but now wasn't the time for that. She would just have to trust Danny knew what he was doing until they could properly regroup, and figure out their next move. As the Griffon came into sight Danny quickly pointed it out. "There mom."

"I see her Danny." She responded while beginning to take the ship down. Danny easily picked up on her serious tone, and while it made sense, it sounded off to him. He gave a moment's thought before getting up to greet Drew who stood waiting for the door to open.

* * *

They quickly made their way back to the airship which was cradled in some large trees. The damage seemed minimal, but the technical problems that caused the ship to end up that way still persisted. "Not really your best landing." Drew commented as she looked at it with a smirk.

Doc crossed his arms as he stepped beside her. "Better than yours I hear. As soon as we get the airship repaired we're going to have to get the Griffon out of the sand." He responded as he looked over the strange landing he'd made.

Drew wore a rather sour expression at the comment. "It couldn't be helped…" She then let out a sigh. "That storm must have had something to do with it."

Doc nodded as he turned to her. "Maddie mentioned the same thing. The storm had a fluxuating ecto-plasmic signature which she believes originated from this island. The only reason I didn't crash the airship like you did the Griffon was because of those diffusers we installed before."

Drew wore a curious gaze as she thought about it. "That would explain why the Griffon suddenly lost power like that, and why Maddie's Speeder runs easily while most everything else doesn't." Drew reasoned along with her husband. "But how did it cause a storm like that?" She turned to her friend who was talking with her son not too far away.

"I'm sure we can try and work this whole thing out, but for now we need to get ourselves reorganized." Doc started. "That looks like it hurts." He continued as he gestured to the bandage on the side of Drew's head.

She reached up to it, and it throbbed a bit in response. "It's fine Doc. Besides, both you and Doyle don't look like you got through scot free either." Both Doyle and Doc looked rather rough from their earlier fight with Epsilon and his agents, and Doyle even had a bandage on his upper arm. "Considering what had just happened, I'm surprised we got off with just this though." She thought aloud in curiosity.

"Especially Maddie and her son considering they're the only one's without a scratch." Doc added in before becoming serious again. "But Zak's still out there, and in who knows what kind of trouble."

Drew seemed angry at the mention. "I'll wring that spineless weasel's neck if anything happened to my boy!" She growled out just thinking about Epsilon's call from before.

"Drew! Doc! Danny think's he might know where Zak is!" Maddie shouted from afar. Doyle was already nearby watching Danny closely for some reason. Both parents turned and made their ways over quickly.

Danny, who had just finished going over his idea to his mom, turned to them. "I think it was him, but I'm not sure. Before my mom found me I found an impression in the sand, and foot prints leading up to the tree line. I only think it was him because the beach seemed to clear aside from that spot."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Doyle asked as he headed towards the Speeder.

"It's as good a lead as any." Doc agreed as he too headed over followed by Maddie and Danny. Drew, however, couldn't help but notice something odd about the young Fenton. His expression as he explained Zak's possible location seemed less worried, and more guilty; it was as if he was at fault somehow.

* * *

"Okay, so creepy forest, and now, creepy ruins." Zak stated as he looked over the aged structure before him. It was covered in vines and moss, but seemed quite intact unlike other ruins he'd seen before. He'd lost the paw trail a little ways before, and so decided to investigate this building. He wandered around it until he found some sort of entrance. There was a large statue of a winged serpent just before the entrance, and the eyes seemed to glow with how the light hit the orange gems that represented them. He looked at them with a strange feeling of nostalgia sitting at the back of his mind. As he stared at the statue in curiosity he could feel his powers beginning to act up. It was just like when he was at one of those spiritual hot spots only not as wild. "What is this place?"

" _Welcome my child…"_ The words were distorted but the voice was familiar. The boy looked just past the statue to see the blue ghost cat watching him from just inside the shadows. He was surprised at first, but before he could make any move towards her she disappeared in a smoky fashion.

"Did that cat… lead me here?" He wondered aloud as he thought back to the statue and the trail that he followed.

* * *

"Do you think these ruins have something to do with Kur?" Doc asked as he inspected a wall depicting several cryptids he recognized. The group found this large ruin after coming through the forest where Zak's trail started. The large amount of foliage made them hard to spot at first until they came upon a large open area near the center. The walls all around depicted creatures, and there were a few tunnels that appeared to lead out into it.

"That's what I'm thinking." Drew concurred as she looked over another cryptid depiction. "After all why else would it be here with all of these cryptid paintings?"

"Check this one!" Doyle called out as he stood at the far wall. All eyes turned to him as he pointed to a large serpentine dragon with glowing eyes. Both Doc and Drew dashed over. "It looks like a dragon or something."

"It very well could be." Drew revealed with a serious tone while still showing amazement. "Kur is most commonly depicted as a dragon in ancient mythology." Doc quickly moved to pull down any vines that covered the rest of the wall.

"Whoa…" Doyle voiced as he saw the rest of the image. The depiction of Kur seemed to be attacking a large group of humans.

Both Doc and Drew traded uneasy glances before Drew noticed something she recognized. "Is this that artifact from before? The one the Naga's had?" She placed her hand over a strange object depicted in the claw of Kur.

"I'm gonna go with yeah." Doyle answered as he gestured to the wall behind Kur. Several Naga seemed to be following Kur in his assault.

"This too." Doc called as he looked at a portion further than the humans with a grim expression. Doyle and Drew went right over to see for themselves. The blue cat they had come to recognize as Gaia stood over the slain Kur looking towards the massacre depicted before. It then showed the Kur stone being imbued with Kur's spirit. "This must be Kur's defeat and the creation of the Kur stone." He reasoned aloud.

"And Gaia, she must have something to do with sealing Kur." Drew added in. "It's strange that there don't appear to be any writings on this wall. Something to explain the events it's depicting." She continued with a somewhat frustrated tone. They could all use some more answers.

"What about here?" Danny, who was looking around a corner near the speeder, asked as he squatted down. "This looks like a Greek letter…. Theta?" He turned to them with a raised brow. "You know the one used in Trig all the time." His mother, who was closest, came to look over his shoulder at the strange stone in the ground. Unlike the others, it was round, and even seemed to be a slightly different color or material than the rest of the ancient stone flooring.

"What would that be doing here?" Doc crossed his arms and looked around. The area was very open, and had nothing really in it aside from the depictions on the walls. "Some kind of marker maybe?" He then started to look around the floor. "We should see if we can find any more."

"Sounds like an idea." Drew then headed over to the opposite wall while scanning the ground.

After a few minutes Doyle called out. "Got one here!" He was standing in another corner of the open yard. "This one's a horse shoe…. Or maybe a U?"

"But could also be the Greek letter Omega." Drew corrected as she thought about Danny's discovery as well.

Doc made haste to a new corner and discovered his own stone. "Psi is over here." He stood in the corner directly opposite of Danny, and so Drew took the only remaining corner. "Just like I thought, Mu is in this corner."

"This is sounding kinda-"

"Familiar?" Drew interrupted her brother. "It should, these are the letters used on that map I showed you all before." She then started to move towards the center, and the others did as well. Raising their voices to speak could draw unwanted attention. "That symbol that seemed to be a compass rose used these four letters." Drew informed as she looked at each corner.

"Did you bring it with you?" Maddie asked as she stood just behind Danny thinking it over.

"No, I left it in the lab on the airship." The Saturday responded as she continued to look at them. "But it could still have something else I may have overlooked."

"Let's go and get it then." Doyle concluded until Maddie cut him off.

"No, I can get it. The rest of you can continue looking around. I'm sure you have more experience with this sort of thing anyway." She headed off to the Speeder with a casual air. "Just give me a call if anything happens, but it shouldn't take long." This statement seemed more directed at Danny, but relevant to anyone who could actually call her.

"Alright then, maybe we should make another sweep to see if we can't find something more." Doc suggested since they still didn't have much to go on yet.

While the Saturdays continued to look around, Danny kept around the same area as he thought over something odd. For some reason these tiles were bothering him, but he couldn't put his finger on why. After around ten minutes Drew noticed how he was looking towards each one, and then towards the set which was already setting. "Danny?" She called as she walked over to him. "Something bothering you?"

Danny crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. "Kinda…. But I don't really know."

The young woman raised a brow. Danny had seemed like a very smart boy since she met him, but strange too. Even if he were Jack and Maddie's son, he seemed far too well adjusted, and observant for someone his age…. And secretive. Of course Zak was as well, but they traveled all over. Maddie had told her that she and her family rarely leave the state. "Well? Did you figure something out?"

Danny looked deep in thought as he absent mindedly nodded. "Yeah… maybe…. The sun sets in the west doesn't it?"

"As far as I know it does." Drew answered as she looked towards the timely setting sun.

"Okay, but then the Theta and Omega tiles are backwards-" He paused as he felt a slight chill, and shivered.

"Danny?" Drew called out as she saw him shake all of a sudden. "What's wrong?"

"Okay this place is getting weirder and weirder." They both heard in a far off grumble. They turned to see Doyle facing one of the many tunnels leading out into this open area. "Tell me I'm not the only one seeing the sparkling horse." He asked as he gestured to the shimmering creature that strode out of the shadows. It appeared to be a horse, but definitely not a normal one. It was translucent, and it's aura flared between white and an off shoot of pink. It trotted towards them with an eerie echo to its hoof beats which grew louder as another revealed itself. All eyes fell on the long horns that protruded from each horse's head as more came out into the open.

"Are those what I think they are?" Drew stated in a hushed tone.

Her eyes didn't move away until she heard another silent grumble which seemed strange. "Oh no… of all the things to-"

Drew turned to Danny and was rather surprised at the horrified expression on the boy's face. Even the Kumari Serpent didn't make him scared so why would these supposed unicorns? "Danny…. What's wrong?" She asked in a quiet tone which quickly got the teen's attention.

He seemed hesitant to say anything until one of the creatures snorted loudly enough the echo around the whole area. He tensed up, and looked towards them. "N-no sudden moves." He warned in a whisper as he slowly stepped back. It was unfortunate that only Drew could hear his warning as Doc made a curious approach to the one closest to himself. It was no secret that the recent events had been hard for even him to believe, but magic horses was just crazy. "I've never seen anything like this outside-"

A blood curdling whinny shot out through the small pack of spectral horses which immediately caused Danny to turn on his heel and run. "Shit!" The three of them turned to him to see him dash off, before turning back to the majestic creatures. The peaceful appearance of each creature quickly melted into horror as their false exteriors burned away to reveal the monstrous ghosts beneath. Their hooves burst into flame as they reared up to begin their charge, but by this point the three observers had turn to follow the boy who seemed far more informed about them.

They all headed down the tunnel opposite to the Unicorns with Danny at the lead followed by Drew, Doyle, and Doc respectively. "Anyone got any ideas for evil unicorns?" Doyle shouted as he kept up his fastest pace.

"They're probably ghosts." Drew responded with a slight back glance to the small bright opening of the tunnel. "I think Danny knows about them." She finished as she tried as hard as she could to keep up with Danny's surprising pace. She could barely see him in the dark tunnel even with the cracks along the ceiling casting enough light that they could see each other.

"Great, the minute the ghost hunter leaves, ghosts show up." Doyle grumbled with a slight pant.

"If they are ghosts, that doesn't leave us with many options for fighting back." Doc stated in frustration as the echo of hoofbeats rang from behind.

Drew then turned back as she ran. "Maddie may already know they're here, and is on her way back. We need to just keep away from them until she does." Just as she finished her statement a strange flash of light occurred down the corridor and they all squinted to see what they were approaching.

Seconds later on Phantom in flight sped over their heads, and straight for the stampeding Unicorns. "Just what I needed today, unicorns." He stated with annoyance.

The three Saturdays stopped their mad dash once it was clear Phantom was standing between them and their prospective death, and caught their breaths. "He's got some serious timing." Doc commented as he leaned on his knees.

"Did you ever read comic books?" Doyle asked the scientist with an amused expression. "Comes with the Hero thing."

"Just how far ahead did Danny get?" Drew wondered as she looked down the poorly lit corridor.

"Kid can really run huh?" Her brother said with a laugh.

"It's good that he was able to get so much further away, but if he ends up lost then that will make two missing kids instead of one." Drew deduced in worry. She already felt uneasy about Zak being missing, and didn't want Maddie to feel the same way.

"All of you need to get back to your camp." Phantom suddenly ordered from his held position several meters behind them. He was holding up an energy barrier, but the ghosts continued to bombard it with their horns to get through. He held one hand away and blasted down a nearby wall. It fell easily, and waning daylight poured in around them. "The longer you stay in their path, the longer you'll have to run. They won't follow you if they can't see where you are! Now go!" He shouted at them before putting up his other hand to hold the barrier again. "Hurry!"

"Let's go!" Doyle agreed as he grabbed his sister's arm. Doc jumped through first, and into the thick forest brush.

"What about Danny?" She countered in worry.

"He's fine, but we won't be if we stick around." Doyle directed as he pulled much harder on her arm. Drew only hesitated a little more before going along with him into the jungle. Doc lead the way through the brush as they hurried towards the campsite/ crash site like Phantom directed. Drew only hoped Danny knew how to get back, and would meet them without anything happening to him first.

They were running out of daylight, and any jungle is especially dangerous at night. "We need to regroup, and think about what to do in case we run into more ghosts like them." Doc started as he broke in their path through the brush. "If we can't fight them off, then we'll never be able to get anywhere with those ruins."

"And what if Zak went into them too?" Drew asked in a worried yet calm tone.

"He might be better off on his own for now." Doc informed. "He's smart, and fast. I'm sure he could keep himself in one piece for a day until we can come up with a plan." Their attention was grabbed by an eerie and loud cry coming from the direction of the ruins. They didn't dwell on it for long though, and kept moving. If anything, it was a sign that Phantom still had the ghosts distracted. Doc knocked away some vines in their way as they encroached on the airship, and it was somewhat visible through the trees.

What they didn't see, however, was the ambush that was triggered the minute the cleared the tree line. Weapons of several different types were now pointed at the trio in a tremendous show of force. Epsilon Stood just beyond the wall of agents with a frown of annoyance. "Hello again Saturdays. Have a nice little adventure in the jungle? I for one have grown tired of these games. Where is the boy?" He looked through them.

"Damn it…" Doc cursed as he stood tensely under the threat of death.

"He's nowhere you'll ever find him." Drew shot towards the infuriating agent.

Epsilon chuckled. "I doubt that." He then motioned to the men. "Put them with Mrs. Fenton and the pets, and if they resist, shoot them."

* * *

 **So Epsilon is showing off his soulless government agent routine, and most of the group has been recaptured. He's got the resources and the skills to be very persistent, and if ya'll haven't noticed, he's getting some good 'help'. If you're confused about the time between the air fight and the beginning of this chapter, there will be more on that later. (Yes I know water tension is deadly at high altitudes) BTW I chose unicorns because they were funny, and the ones shown in "Boxed up Fury" were really interesting too. Something unbelievable yet cannon. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.**

 **The beginning of the chapter was actually in the works for a long time, but altered several times as I went along. I appreciate anyone pointing out inconsistencies so that I can fix them. (I reread it three times but still...)**

 **Thx for reading and i would appreciate your impressions, comments, and any questions as well in a review.=^-^=**


	15. Chapter 15 - In the Loop

**Happy Saturday... I at least hope ya'lls was okay. Mine was tormented by the American populace who refuse to get out of their cars at fast food places even if they see 15 other cars in front of them... I hate my job. Anyway, that aside, we have some uber fun today! Enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 15 - In the Loop**

* * *

" _What exactly is your game Clockwork? Why is it that you refuse to help the boy? He is your charge."_ Gaia paced back and forth in front of the large portal depicting the agents' attack.

Clockwork merely wound his staff as he paid her no specific mind. "Not helping? That can't be right Gaia. What kind of guardian would I be if I did that?" He mused mostly for himself. He seemed to be pretending he didn't actually have anyone around, and that he was speaking to no one.

" _What would be the point of allowing any of this to continue? Are we not running out of time? We cannot afford to simply try again if things do not turn out as we need them to be."_

Clockwork chuckled as he tapped his staff on the ground before moving to wind it again. "I wonder what would happen if nothing bad ever happened?... Oh wait…. I do." He then chuckled again. "Power is never something that should be taken lightly. It is never something to be given easily, or taken as such. Those who desire it the most shall be the furthest from it, and the last to receive it. The most power is given to those who surrender the illusion of control."

Gaia looked at the ghost with a sour expression. " _What is this? Why lecture me now Clockwork? Or is it that you are ignoring me now? I came to you because I am worried for your charge not mine. You must know what will happen if this continues!"_

The time ghost looked off to his right with a smirk. "To interfere…..? No….." He chuckled again. "Everything is as it should be." He then floated over to a table in the back that held a battered old thermos. "I think I'll take a nap today. It's been awhile since I've done that." Gaia merely watched him with her ears laid back in frustration. This wasn't new by any means, but annoying all the same. She knew him very well, and Clockwork did this to almost every ghost he'd ever met. The lord of time was in no way a fool, but a whimsical, infuriating, tease, definitely.

* * *

Epsilon had gotten quite the base camp set up in the short time they were gone from the air ship. The entire area was crawling with agents, and several tents were put up in various places. The Saturdays took in the bustling area as they were escorted at gunpoint towards the holding area. It wasn't much to look at, and resembled a large plastic box lined with some sort of metal around the edges. This unassuming prison, however, was quite secure, and guarded on all sides. One by one each of them were pushed through the door with their wrists bound behind them by Slap Wraps. Fiskerton jumped to see them. (You're okay!) He expressed with a smile while Komodo wriggled on the ground being completely wrapped in the metal cuffs. "Fiskerton, Komodo…. Maddie!" Drew called as she dashed past the Lemurian to her unconscious friend.

Doc looked to Fiskerton. "What happened?" Fisk furrowed his brow before standing straight at attention. "You were keeping watch.." Fiskerton nodded and then turned around and acted surprised. "When you were ambushed by Epsilon?" Fiskerton then acted like he was fighting and looking all around. "They surrounded you…" Fisk nodded before jumping up with a kick and then turning to Maddie. "Maddie arrived to help…" He continued to act like he was fighting until he stumbled forwards and acted like he was asleep.

"But she tripped…?" This time Doyle tried to interpret when Doc seemed confused. Both men looked at each other while Fisk sat up with a frown. He shook his head and then froze up to collapse again. Neither man seemed to be getting the message as they scratched their heads over Fisk's odd behavior.

"She was sedated." Drew cut in as she kneeled over her friend with concern. She had just discovered a small red mark on the scientist's neck when she was checking on her. Fiskerton instantly pointed her way with his feet and nodded.

"She really didn't give us much choice in that regard. Her previous efforts have proven she can be quite a formidable opponent." Epsilon now stood in front of the prison with his standard poker face. He adjusted his shades as he took in the angry glares. "Now don't look at me like that, you all are the reason she's in this mess in the first place. I'm happy enough to keep her out of the way. I'm hoping that I can send her on her way as soon as her son is located." The true intention in his words was obvious to all. He planned to threaten her with him if she continued to get in the way. Epsilon's attention was then drawn by a small beep that came from his wrist communicator. "Yes?"

"We have yet to locate the boy, but we did manage to capture the secondary target. Should we continue the search?"

Epsilon thought it over a moment before a thought came to him. "Negative, bring him here." He then turned to his prisoners. "He may prove very helpful." He then walked away with a victorious smirk on his face.

Drew glared at his back with a quiet growl. "It should be illegal for someone to enjoy this sort of thing."

"Who's this secondary target he talked about?" Doyle asked as he turned to Doc and Drew.

"If what he said is any indication, it's probably Danny. Although that means he's alive, and not being attacked by those ghosts, I don't think his odds are much better with Epsilon."

Drew raised a brow. "But why would he be the secondary target? Wouldn't he assume he was with us until he ambushed us?"

"It's been about half an hour since then. Plenty of time for him to put out a search for him, and Zak." Doc stated with a confident and serious tone. Drew let out a sigh as she looked down at her friend. Even if Epsilon was being an ass, he was at least a little right when he cast blame. If she hadn't called her into this, Maddie and her son wouldn't be in so much danger right now.

As they waited thinking of a plan each member of the family took to looking over what they could see of the camp. "Anyone else notice the white suits?" Doyle asked from his view of the camp.

Doc looked with a nod. "Yeah, and that's not normal for Epsilon's agents. About half of them are Epsilon's and the other half are in white."

"So he's getting help from someone." Drew concluded as she crossed her arms. "But who?"

"Good question." Her husband returned in a serious tone. "Whatever the answer, it's probably not good."

"No it's not." They all heard with a groan as Mrs. Fenton finally stirred to life. She pushed herself up on her bound wrists and shook the drowsy feeling from her head.

"How are you feeling Maddie?" Drew kneeled back down beside her.

"Annoyed, but I'm sure you are too." The ghost hunter then sat up and took a good look at the metal binds on bother her wrists and ankles. "These things again." She muttered in irritation.

"They seem to be the same things Epsilon and his agents used before." Her friend informed as she looked out at the agents keeping guard.

"That makes things easy then." Maddie then reached for her waist bag which proved somewhat difficult with her wrists bound.

"I doubt Epsilon left you anything to fight with before throwing you in here like us." Doc tried to inform before she finally got to the bag.

"I know that, but that isn't what I'm doing." Only seconds later did her intention become clear when the wraps around her ankles and wrists suddenly snapped back into their unused shape. She rubbed them with satisfaction before taking up the restraint devices in her hand.

"How did do that?" Drew asked with an impressed expression.

Maddie raised a cocky brow as she looked at them. "Epsilon may have taken my weapons but not my suit. It has multi-spectral camouflage built in, but is only good for a short amount of time. No heat signature, no wrapping."

Drew gave a short laugh as she stood up beside Maddie. "I shouldn't be surprised. You're always prepared for anything."

"Well, maybe not anything." Maddie conceded as she rubbed her neck. "I can't believe that creep got the jump on me like that. Anyway, where's Danny?" She asked as she noted his absence.

Both Drew and Doc traded uneasy glances before Doyle cut in. "We got chased by the ghost unicorns and got separated. Phantom showed up, and we were able to get away, but that's when we got jumped by the secret squad here." He knew that mentioning Phantom would be the best way to let her know Danny was alright since they were one and the same. Doc and Drew were the only ones out of the loop by this point.

"Ghosts at the ruins?"

Drew nodded. "Yeah, but Epsilon has his men around there too. Earlier we heard him say he'd caught someone and it wasn't Zak."

* * *

"Would you guys cut it with the cattle prods!? Those things hurt you know!" Danny now found himself in a very annoying situation as he was guided through the jungle by a platoon of agents in white riot gear.

"Silence! Keep Moving!" The agents at his back ordered as he poked the ghost in the back with the electric pole. Phantom was completely helpless in his current state against this many agents. His wrists were bound in large metal cuffs with an energy line connecting them. It seemed, from what he could gather, to be the thing that restricted his powers.

"You'd do well not make your situation any worse than it already is." Francis, the team's leader, informed with a pompous tone from the head of the group. "Once we get back to camp, electrocution will be the least of your worries."

Danny raised an annoyed brow at the boy's snide tone. Letting himself be caught so easily was bad enough, but by this brat? Unbearable. "Excuse me if I don't jump for joy then." The halfa grumbled in annoyance. "So what exactly do you and daddy have going huh? And do you really wanna get stuck training with Zak for ten years? Sorry but you two seem…. What's the word?-"

"That's irrelevant Phantom." Francis interrupted in a stern tone. "Now keep quiet." His words were enforced by another painful jab from the agent's prod and Danny trudged forwards with an irritated expression. Zak's opinion of the kid was pretty spot on from what he'd seen so far.

It wasn't long before they broke through the trees to where the air ship, now being investigated and surrounded by agents, rested in the torn canopy of the forest. Danny raised his brow at the makeshift camp they had set up, but glared when he saw several white suited agents smirk in his direction as he was guided through. "Figures… I thought these guys looked familiar." He grumbled under his breath before laying eyes on the agent's other prisoners. They passed right by the holding cell. His eyes locked onto his mother's, and didn't move away as he was stopped just a few yards past. One of the suited agents pulled up the control for the cuffs and directed it at them. With one button the energy line connecting them dissolved, but Danny had no time to try and figure out why. They quickly became tethered to a metal spike driven into the ground just before he'd been stopped.

"Well well, we meet again Phantom." Epsilon greeted as he appeared front and center. He was less than happy but satisfied at the halfa's capture.

Danny smirked at the man despite his own situation. "I'd like to say it's a pleasure, but you haven't even offered me a chair. What kind of host are you?" He quipped in his standard fashion.

Epsilon raised a brow at the ghost's demeanor. "Oh how rude of me." Danny then felt the prod at the back of his leg and took a knee. "Unfortunately you'll just have to make do with the ground. You should understand your position Phantom, escaping these binds will not be as easy as the ones before. These were made just for you."

"Oh you shouldn't have." Danny quipped back with a wince.

Epsilon merely smirked down at him in superiority. "Yes well, I couldn't have you using them against me as you did before. These are running off your own energy, and won't even lock in place on anything but a ghost."

Danny was a bit surprised by the information, but kept his expression subdued. Instead he simply stood back up and glared at the agent. "So what did you want me for? I thought you were after the kid." Danny started with a more serious tone.

"Ah but we are, and it just so happens you were the last to have him." Epsilon gestured to his son at his side. "You flew out of the airship with him last night didn't you?" He said in more of an accusation than a question. "Where is he now?"

The halfa seemed to think it over. "Let's see…. Hmmm? Sorry I just don't remember where he went. Too bad." He received two prods in the back for that comment, and groaned from the pain.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear Phantom. This little game of yours will get you nowhere."

Danny scoffed at him. "Or what you'll shock me again?" Danny shot back and was rewarded in kind. They kept up the shock longer, and Danny eventually fell to his knees.

"Well, if you insist, play your game. We still have some time."

Meanwhile all eyes were on the torturous interrogation. "I didn't think they'd caught him." Doc revealed as he struggled to watch the young hero be attacked. None of them wanted to be so helpless, but none had a choice.

Drew saw how Maddie seemed unusually unsettled by it, but given how he'd saved them before she didn't seem to have a bad opinion of him. "At least they didn't get Danny. Both our boys are still out there."

Doc nodded. "Drew's right, and this is our chance to think of a way out of this mess while their attention is focused on Phantom."

That didn't seem to help Maddie at all, and Doyle was the only one to figure out why immediately. Fiskerton remembered a moment later, and moved to try and comfort her before Doyle pulled him back. "Hold it Gorilla Cat, remember they don't know?" He whispered in warning a few feet behind the Saturday parents. Fisk seemed to realize what he meant and nodded. (Yeah, I got it.) "Good, now back to thinking our way out of here." He turned back to the rest of his family. "Phantom's pretty tough so I doubt Epsilon could really hurt him Mrs. F. I mean just listen to him troll the guy."

Maddie took a breath and took the statement as it was. Danny had gone through a lot, and there was plenty she didn't know about. Standing around wasn't going to do anything. "You're probably right, but getting out of here won't be as easy as getting those restraints off." She had used some improvised electronics from her suit to free the rest of them. Considering their prison at the moment though, the guards didn't seem to care that they were no longer restrained.

Most had their attentions on Phantom's interrogation as Epsilon started to grow impatient. "This is growing tiresome Phantom. Just tell me where he is." He demanded with an irritated tone.

Danny was breathing rather hard at this point, but wasn't down yet. "Was that impatience? I guess watching someone be electrocuted just loses its thrill after a while." He quipped.

Epsilon had had enough of the teen's comments and grabbed him by the front of his suit. "This is your last chance Phantom. Tell me right now, or I'll hand you over to the GIW, and let them deal with you!"

Danny winced from the sudden movement. "As if you weren't going to do that to begin with?" He chuckled. "I figured from the minute I was brought here that I was the only reason they seemed so ready to take orders from you. They want me, and the minute they have me, you lose your back up on this island that fries anything but anti ghost tech."

Epsilon growled through his teeth as he dropped Danny to the ground. The halfa's cocky front still held, but he couldn't help reaching for his chest. All of those shocks had taken their toll, and now it felt like the rash was on fire. From afar the imprisoned group watched as Epsilon lost his cool and Danny sat on the ground. Maddie had taken special notice of how her son grasped at his chest and an idea came to her. "Wait a minute…" She muttered while the others continued thinking of ways to get out of the formidable prison. She reached for her side pocket, and was happy to find her scanner still in it. "I guess he didn't think I could use this for anything."

"Use what?" Doc asked as he turned to her.

She held out the scanner to show them. "It's a scanner for analyzing ghosts close up." She worked at the controls a bit while the others seemed confused.

"How would that help us escape?" Drew wondered as she looked at her friend.

Maddie was just about to explain before remembering the circumstances of how it would actually work. "It can… It's used to scan a particular ghost's energy readings through a small electrical current. Ectoplasm is highly conductive, so if I were to increase the charge I could cause a massive short. If I were to use it on Phantom, that along with what they're already using on him, may short out those cuffs and allow him to escape."

"It makes sense but… couldn't that really hurt him?" Doyle wondered with a furrowed brow. It sounded like it would, but why would Maddie want to do that to her son?

The hunter nodded and turned to her son. "More than a little, but…" She trailed off as she turned to Danny. He was still on the ground, and didn't look comfortable. Now three of the agents were up and taking turns with the prods.

"Do come to your senses Phantom, I know this hurts. Agent K told me all about ghosts and electricity." He said with a smug tone.

Danny was nearing his limit, and his self-restraint along with it. "Fine damn it!" He finally shouted in exasperation. "I dropped him into the fricken ocean! You happy now!?"

The agents stopped their attack and Epsilon kneeled at the tired halfa. "Really? All this and you think I'm going to believe you just dropped him?"

Danny was breathing hard as he looked up to the agent from his hands and knees. "Yeah. I grabbed him and blacked out hundreds of feet over the ocean. Use your brain." Phantom wore a very serious expression which intrigued the man. He couldn't help thinking it may have been true based on how Phantom had said it.

"You dropped him!?" Drew screeched in outrage from her prison. They were only a few yards away, and so much of the interrogation was audible especially the shout. Drew now had both hands up against the transparent wall with tears starting in her eyes. "How could you just drop him!?" She didn't know what to think anymore as she slammed her hands against the wall again as the tears came down. "You dropped my… my son… my baby boy…" She slowly fell to her knees, and Doc placed his hands on her shoulders with a somber expression of his own.

Their moment of silence was destroyed when a thunderous roar cut through the camp along with a bolt of lightning. Out of nowhere a strange beast seemingly made of lightning itself started tearing through each tent one by one. "What is that?!" "Stop that thing!" The agents scrambled to take it down with what weapons they had, but its speed was that of the lightning it wore. It was somewhere else before they could even register where it'd gone. All of a sudden, the prisoners weren't important as all agents moved their focus to the immediate threat.

Doc gave a curious expression as he watched the scene. "Is that a Raiju? We're nowhere near Japan." He stated in bewilderment.

"Is that really important right now?" The sudden yet familiar voice caught them all by surprise. They turned to see Zak just behind the cell with his claw out, and smirk on his face.

"Zak!" Drew called as she ran over to him, but Zak cut her off.

"Hold on mom, shh!" He calmly instructed. "We have to get you guys out first." He looked over towards the Raiju and augmented the glow of his eyes before heading around the front. He found his way to the lock's control panel where after a few seconds of contemplation he jammed the hilt of his claw into it. The lock shorted out and the door bar receded as he hoped it would.

"Crude but effective Miniman." Doyle praised as he exited the prison first.

Drew was next and had her son in her arms as soon as she physically could. "Oh Zak! My boy, you're alright." She resounded with relief.

"Phantom must've been bluffing about dropping him before." Doc deduced with relief as well.

"Actually no, but more on that later." Zak revealed as he moved his concentration back to the fight. "Let's kick some butt first." Drew more than happy to agree as she turned to the agents all enthralled with fighting the Raiju.

Maddie wasted no time dashing for Danny who was now unguarded. "Danny? Danny are you alright?" She asked as she kneeled beside him.

The teen was still reeling from the shocks but still able to move. "I wouldn't say okay, but….. good considering." He responded with a shaky laugh.

The Saturdays came over as well to assist the heroic ghost since their movements had yet to be noticed. "We need to get those restraints off him somehow. Fiskerton?" Doc directed to the strong Lemurian. He complied and took each one in his hands and tried to pry them off. He strained with all he had before heaving a sigh in defeat. (No good) He grumbled in a slump.

Phantom took a deep breath and sat up. "It's fine… I know how I can get them off." He didn't look at any of them, and turned towards where the Raiju was keeping the agents' attentions. "Just cover me a minute." He requested.

Doyle seemed to understand before Maddie as he moved first. "Gotcha, no problem." Maddie was able to figure it out from seeing Doyle, and both she and Zak made moves to do so. Doc, Drew, and Komodo simply followed along with confusion.

"Whenever you're ready Danny." His mom informed with an understanding tone.

"Thanks mom." The baffling response was followed by a ring of light that enveloped the ghost hero, and when it vanished, Danny Fenton sat in its place. Fiskerton, who hadn't seen him do it yet, marveled at the transformation while the Saturday parents looked in serious disbelief. The cuffs on Danny's arms seemed to click a few times before powering down and dropping off his arms easily. "That's better." The teen expressed as he rubbed his wrists.

"Not trying to rush you or anything, but we need to get out of here. I don't know how much longer I can keep this guy from going nuts." Zak interrupted before hearing the Raiju cry out angrily. "It's taking everything I've got just to keep him from actually hurting anyone."

"They're escaping!" An agent finally called from the group further away from the beast.

"And now we have less time…" Doyle grumbled.

"No problem." Danny responded as he stood up and morphed back to Phantom in much the same way he had reverted. "Everyone grab onto me now." He held out his arms which were quickly grabbed by each person around him.

"Okay then, get out of here boy!" Zak ordered as he released the Raiju from his influence. It bolted away and all agents quickly moved their attentions to the group around Phantom. Only a few had managed to get close before the whole group vanished without a trace in the night.

* * *

The group appeared on a deserted beach on the island where Danny immediately fell back into the sand on his butt. He let out a breath from the strain of moving them all invisibly at the same time before turning to Zak. "You couldn't have showed up a little faster?"

Zak crossed his arms. "Come on Danny, I had to come up with some kind of plan first." He shot back. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to control that guy with my powers? If I'd come alone I would've just gotten captured like you." He ended with a tease.

Danny scoffed at him. "Hey, I had to fight back a pack of Unicorns before those jerks showed up. It's not like I just surrendered." He defended with his arms crossed.

"Oh wow, Unicorns. Must have been so tough."

"Uh Miniman, did you actually see them?" Doyle cut in thinking back to the horrid creatures from before. "You laugh, but those things are not what TV makes them out to be."

Zak rolled his eyes before turning back to Danny. "Well whatever, I got there so how about some gratitude? You owe me for saving your butt."

Danny raised a brow. "And you already owed me for saving your butt let's see…. 1, 2… 3, 4…. Wow that's a lot of gratitude I didn't get." He finished with a smirk and holding out his fingers as he counted them. The two boys simply smirked at each other before Doc and Drew finally had enough.

"Alright! Are we the only ones who didn't know about this?" Doc asked with his arms crossed to match his wife.

Doyle, Danny and Zak all looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess… ?" Zak responded as he thought about it. He then turned to Doyle. "When did you find out about it?"

"Doyle was eavesdropping on you and Danny the other day." Maddie answered for him as she reached her hand down to her son. "I asked him not to say anything."

Danny took the hand and got to his feet with a grunt. "Geez, it's almost like I can feel the electricity still." He steadied himself and turned to Doc and Drew. "Sorry about keeping you guys in the dark, but I never intended to tell any of you at all. At this point it didn't seem like keeping it a secret was doing me any good though, and you guys would have probably found out one way or another considering how things were going…" He ended with a grumble.

"So… you're a ghost?" Doc tried to reason with a furrowed brow.

"But you're… human… or are you…?" Drew tried to wrap her mind around what exactly this meant, but seemed just as lost as her husband. Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he thought over what to say.

"If you want it said simply, Danny is half ghost, and half human." Maddie declared with confidence right next to her son.

Drew seemed confused, but understood enough to let it go. She let out a breath and turned to Maddie. "Well, I guess I can take that."

"What do you mean?!" Doc argued. "How can someone be half ghost?! What kind of Schrodinger's Cat nonsense is that? You just can't be both!" He finished with frantic confusion on his face. Zak seemed to laugh at his dad's reaction, and Doyle was equally amused.

Danny scratched his head as he traded a glance with his mom. "Well…. I guess it sounds weird, but I can't explain it any other way. You?" He asked his mom when he came up empty.

"I have an idea, but shouldn't we be thinking about getting further away from Epsilon and the GIW?"

Zak turned to the shore. "No worries about that, our ride is here." The still ocean stirred as a large sea serpent emerged with the city it carried.

Ulraj and many of the Kumari quickly appeared at the edge to wave to their missing friends. "We've been looking for you all!"

* * *

 **So yeah, everyone is in the loop... the main people anyway. I'm sure this will not be the end of Danny's secret being exposed, but I think he seems more amicable at this point. Ulraj is back and ya'll know what that means right? (If you remember of course...) Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed, and were happy I could update quickly this time. I know I'm not super fast with this usually, but sometimes quality takes time right?**

 **Thx for reading, and please review, comment, and question!=^-^=**


	16. Chapter 16 - Ancient Allies

**Been holding this one for a bit just trying to get the finer details straight so I don't screw them up. I have so many little plots going through my head I get them mixed up. LOL.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 16 - Ancient Allies**

* * *

"I am relieved we were finally able to find you." Ulraj stated as he and his guests sat comfortably inside the palace.

"I'd imagine, but I'm still having trouble figuring out how that happened. How could three days have passed for you, and only one for us?" Doc asked in bafflement. Ulraj had apparently lost them after the storm, and even the sea serpent was swimming in circles until that morning.

Doyle shrugged. "It's not worth the headache in my book. We're here, things worked out."

"True enough Doyle, but I'm pretty curious myself. Maybe it had something to do with that island we were on?" She then turned to Maddie who was looking over one of her scanning devices. "What do you think Maddie?"

She didn't look away, but raised a brow. "Well it could have been the hot spot we were in. Space is already proven to warp at times within one after all. What's not to say time doesn't? I couldn't really say though since Jack and I have yet to encounter that particular effect." She took another moment before stashing the device away. "In locations like that, the border between our worlds can warp."

Drew nodded. "This is what you mentioned before with Jack right?"

Maddie nodded. "Yes, and the Ghost Zone operates far differently than our world." She then turned to Danny who was over by Zak and Fisk laughing at something.

"And then he-"

"Danny." His mother called while waving him over.

"Yeah mom?" He responded as he broke away from the boys in favor of his mom.

"I'm going to assume you've been inside the ghost zone more than a few times. Have you ever had a problem keeping track of time?"

Danny raised a brow at that one. "Keeping track of time? I usually bring my phone so-"

"Not quite what I meant Danny." His mother interrupted to clarify. "I mean, have you ever experienced time differently in different parts of the Ghost Zone?"

Danny crossed his arms to think about it. "Well…. Not that I know of. Even ghosts keep track of the year….. I guess though, it would depend on where you came in or left the zone." He noticed the confused expressions immediately. "Uh… you know, different portals?"

Drew sat back in her chair. "But when Maddie and I got pulled into it, we didn't lose any time."

Danny shook his head. "Ah no, that's different. You two were in the main part of the zone. That big green void. You may have noticed that void wasn't completely empty right? Maybe a door or two?"

"I think… maybe I did see something like a door?" Drew admitted as she thought about it.

"And there was that tower we were standing on when Gaia showed up remember?" Maddie pointed out.

"Yeah, realms in the zone. Time can change in certain realms. In Eragon it was 1600 right up until recently. You bring a clock in there and it is dead for all intents and purposes, or was. Then you have to be careful about going through a random portal cause you never know when you'll turn up."

Doc leaned forwards. "What do you mean by 'when' we turn up?" As a scientist, this whole concept was trampling over all he used to trust in. Nothing was making solid sense anymore.

"Well portals to the Zone aren't just everywhere but every when too. I got to see the first airplane take off at Kitty Hawk when me and my friends were chasing Plasmius through the zone." He smirked just thinking about it. "I was actually in that picture they took for the paper, but I stayed invisible for it."

Doc raised a scrutinous brow. "Back in 1903? You're joking." He declared having already been forced from his comfort zone scientifically.

Danny simply shrugged. "I'm not gonna force you to believe me. It doesn't really bother me one bit if you don't." It really didn't matter since this was expected and irrelevant at the moment. It was only an example he was giving.

"Who's this Plasmius you were chasing?" His mother asked curiously.

"Oh him, don't you remember him?... uh…. Wait he's the Wisconsin Ghost. That name ring a bell?"

The ghost hunter was instantly agitated by the memory. "Oh that piece of putrid protoplasm. I remember him from the reunion at Vlad's." She almost growled out.

"Yeah, that creep stole a special map from the FarFrozen, and we had to get it back."

Ulraj immediately shot both hands on the table as he stood. "Hold on! Did you say the FarFrozen?" He asked thinking he may have heard wrong. "As in, you know them? Where they are?"

Danny raised a brow at him before remembering that Ulraj had mentioned them before. "Yeah… right, I remember you saying something about how your people used to trade with them a long time ago right?"

The kumari nodded enthusiastically. "Yes I did. My people owe much to their generosity, and knowledge. Are you saying that the FarFrozen are still alive? Where have they been all this time?"

Danny furrowed his brow with an amused expression. "Well…. No and yes? If you're talking about the same FarFrozen I am, then yeah I know them. You remember that ice puzzle right? It was given to me by a FarFrozen."

Drew crossed her arms at the information. "Who exactly are these FarFrozen you both seem so happy about? Some ancient civilization?"

Ulraj nodded with a gleam in his eye. "Yes, a brilliant people! As a matter of fact, according to our history it was they who first allowed us to maintain a moving city." He snapped his fingers to gain his attendant's attention. "Bring me the Treasure Scroll." The attendant bowed and headed off to get it.

"They're the ones who hooked you up with the sea serpent?" Doyle asked with a smirk.

Ulraj didn't look amused. "No, that was something improvised later. The system they provided allowed the city to submerge and surface at any time. That is how we were able to begin trading with other lands without the fear of invasion."

Danny rubbed his chin. "That's really weird. I've never heard of them doing stuff like that…. Though it sounds pretty plausible too now that I think about it. Friendly and festive describes them pretty well."

"I bet Abby could tell us about them right? She's an expert on ancient civilizations." Zak interjected with a smile which quickly dashed away. "You know if she didn't go all evil mercenary on us…. Never mind…" Fiskerton shook his finger at the boy and Zak simply shrugged at the lemurian.

The attendant soon entered with a large ancient scroll which seemed very well cared for, and placed it gently on the table. Ulraj wasted no time in rolling out with care to show the bizarre scribbles it held. "This was a special treaty made between our peoples to preserve our friendship even if war were to come to one of our kingdoms."

"This thing looks like a kindergartener had a drawing contest with a monkey." Doyle stated as he pointed to the unnatural script.

Drew raised her brow at the ludicrous description before looking to the paper. "While I don't agree with Doyle's…. interesting description, this isn't a language I'm familiar with."

Ulraj wore a cocky expression as he crossed his arms. "Of course not since it is not a surface language used today." He then pulled out a familiar green gem and set it over the paper. "If looked upon through this special gem, however, it reads out in the oldest Kumari Script." He explained as the scribbles changed shape under the green gem.

"Wow, it's like a secret decoder ring." Danny stated with a laugh.

"I have a question." Doyle announced as he rubbed his chin. "If these FarFrozen guys are so smart and helpful, maybe we should see if they'd help us with Agent Persistent, and those other dorks."

Doc sat up with a smirk. "Now that's an idea. We need to get back the airship, and investigate those ruins on the island." He then turned to the halfa who was looking over the paper. "What do you say Danny?"

The teen looked up at him with a raised brow. "Asking them to help?"

"It's no secret we need help. Most of us don't even have any weapons." Doyle laid out for the halfa.

"Well…." The teen thought aloud at the proposition. "I guess I could ask, but I'd need to borrow your special gem Ulraj."

The Kumari was more than agreeable as he held it out to him. "Not a problem…. As long as you let me come see them as well." He added in with an excited tone.

"What would you need the useless rock for?" Doyle asked with a laugh.

"Priceless heirloom." Ulraj corrected at the disrespectful tone.

"Don't tell me…." Doc began to grumble with a dreadful expression.

"Hey, if you know a quicker way to the Ghost Zone, I'm all ears." Danny shot back as he held up the large gemstone.

"So these FarFrozen…. They're ghosts?" Maddie inquired to her son as he placed the stone on the ground.

"Yeah, and they're friends of mine. No worries mom." He then morphed on the spot. "So, I imagine we should go sooner rather than later?"

Ulraj, while curious about the transformation, instantly shot to the halfa's side. "As soon as possible! Do you know how the door works?"

Danny took a side glance at the gem. "Eh, I figured it out." He then blasted it with his ghost ray, and it exploded with light. A portal formed in seconds much to the amazement of everyone, but Danny. "You said it needed a special kind of energy right?"

* * *

"I need the patrols to be very careful for the upcoming storm. It may be the last of the season, but that does not mean it will not be an easy one." The Lord of the FarFrozen advised as he stood before a squad of his loyal people.

"Aye sir! I understand." Tundra, leader of the squad, replied. "We will be sure to have the castle secured and ready for the Union Festival." Frostbite nodded, and Tundra responded by striking his fist to his chest. This act was mimicked by the other warriors before they filed out behind their leader.

Seconds after they left a new FarFrozen entered to address their leader. "Ah, Arctico! What news of our guests have you brought?"

"The Great One's companions have informed us that the Great One will be unable to attend due to travel. It would seem his mother has taken him on a trip, and they do not know when he shall return. I have received word that Queen Dorothea will be arriving shortly with her escort, but Lord Igneous has once again declined our invitation."

Frostbite seemed cross but shrugged it off. "I expected as much, but it is quite disappointing. The greater loss is that the Great One will not be able to enjoy the festivities. It is his actions, after all, that allow us to continue this tradition in the original location."

Arctico nodded in agreement. "I share your disappointment sir, but only for the Great One. I doubt Lady Glacia would have been so happy about Lord Igneous attending despite our reconciliation."

Frostbite wore a smirk at that. "True, but it would be rude not to invite him. The fact that I sent several invitations was to express our desire for a better relationship. I will not send anymore though, since he has more than made his point. Please let me know if any more guests arrive. I must see to the other preparations."

"Sir!" Arctico slammed his fist to his chest in salute before leaving the room.

* * *

Danny stepped through the portal first of course since he needed to check on where they would come out. The fact that he stepped onto a solid surface was good, but inside a place he'd never seen before. It was dark, but he could still tell the old stone walls around were old. The next thing he noticed was that it was cold. His ice core gave him invulnerability to extreme cold, but he could still tell when it was cold or not. A few steps towards a doorway told him there was ice on the floor, and perhaps even some snow. "It doesn't look dangerous…. Maybe we're close to the FarFrozen already?" A few steps out into the hall told him he was closer than he thought. A break in the wall of the ruin displayed the familiar frozen peaks of the FarFrozen. "Sweet!" He pumped his fist before flying back to the portal. He was just about to go back through when a jolt of pain shot right through his chest out of nowhere. It was nothing like the others, and it had him on his knees in seconds. He gripped his chest with a cry of pain that ended with him unconscious on the stone floor.

Though the cry echoed around the ruin, the sound did not pierce the portal. Despite this, however, it did receive a reaction. Just on the other side Maddie seemed suddenly restless waiting for her son to return. She couldn't quite place what it was, but something was bothering her. It had only been a few minutes and yet she felt it had been too long. She furrowed her brow as she thought about it. She tried to tell herself Danny was fine, that he knew what he was doing, that she may cause a problem if she went through before he returned…. "Maddie?" Drew called from her left. "Something wrong?" She understood her worry since she was a mother too.

"No… But maybe I'll just take a look. Just to see what's going on." Maddie responded as she stepped up to the portal.

"Sure that's a good idea? Danny said there was a good chance the portal would let out in the middle of nowhere. You could fall into the infinite void we saw before." Drew cautioned.

"Well I won't walk through… just look." Maddie then did just that as she passed her head through up to her neck. When the others saw her dash through not even a second later they began to get uneasy.

"Maybe we should go too?" Doyle suggested as he walked up. "Might be something wrong, and they could use some help."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zak said as he dashed through the portal without a second thought. After that they all followed one by one.

Once on the other side they quickly took note of Maddie who was kneeling over her son on the ground. "Danny! Wake up!"

Drew made her way around to see the teen unconscious in his mother's arms. The woman seemed distraught with what to do. "What happened to him?"

Maddie shook her head. "I don't know…. He was like this when I looked in, but I can't tell why…. He doesn't look like he was attacked." She tried to explain as she held him close.

Doc and Doyle took a good look around the chamber while keeping their guard up for whatever could have gotten Phantom down in so little time. "Geez it's freezing here." The ex-mercenary complained with agitation.

Zak and Fisk were standing beside their mother right when a puff of cold air escaped the halfa's mouth. "Wasn't that….?" Zak looked to the lemurian who seemed puzzled.

"I think I hear something…" Doc informed with a hushed tone. He peered out into the hall and was immediately greeted with a roar of anger.

"Trespassers!" The FraFrozen bellowed as he swung down his spear upon the human. Doc parried with his arm, but was knocked back by the ghost's raw strength.

Doyle quickly jumped to his aid as he grabbed the beast from behind. "Back off you abominable snow freak!" The FarFrozen ripped the man from his back and threw him at Doc. He then roared angrily as he pointed his spear once again.

Both men stood to fight, but before they could strike back Ulraj came between them. "No Mr. Saturday please!" He requested as he turned to the FarFrozen still poised to strike. "Noble FarFrozen please stop your attack. We are not trespassers. These humans are with me, and I am Ulraj king of the Kumari." Despite his outer confidence, he was very uneasy inside. Their peoples may have been allied centuries ago, but who knows what could happen now.

"That's a FarFrozen!?" Doc asked in a hushed but bewildered tone.

"Looks like…" Doyle grumbled in response.

The FarFrozen looked at the young kumari curiously before retracting his weapon. "A kumari…. Kumari…. Kumari Kandum!" He finally finished as he remembered why the name was familiar. The young man did indeed appear to be of the kumari race, though it had been some time since he had seen one. "You are King of Kumari Kandum young one? Please excuse my behavior your majesty." He expressed with a bow. "But had I known of your coming, I would have been far more hospitable in my greeting."

Ulraj quickly reciprocated the bow with relief. "No, it is my fault for coming unannounced. You see we only-"

"Tundra! Did you hear that yell just now!?" Polaris shouted from behind Tundra as he barreled towards them. "Was it an intruder?" He asked as he looked over the strangers before his leader.

"Calm yourself Polaris, it was a false alarm. Please greet his majesty Ulraj with your respect." Tundra instructed as he gestured to the young kumari.

Polaris raised a baffled brow. "His majesty who?" He then approached the young man curiously before noting the others inside the room to his left. "And just who are they?" He wondered as well as he looked past the defensive lemurian to see the two women near the portal. "…is that….. Danny!" He suddenly cried as he pushed both the young boy and Fiskerton out of his way. "Tundra it's Danny! Something has happened to him!"

Tundra's annoyance at Polaris' disrespect was immediately dismissed at the revelation. "Are you sure!?" He called back as he followed him into the chamber.

Polaris was kneeling down just beside the very baffled Drew as he looked over the poor halfa. "Yes I am!" He reached out a claw which caused Maddie to pull her son away in response.

"What do you want?" She asked in a calm but icy tone. She didn't want a ghost anywhere near her son if he was hurt.

"Please, I only wish to help him human." The FarFrozen tried to convey.

Tundra stood just behind Polaris and looked over the teen. "We must get him back to the village at once." He then pulled a small communication device from his belt. "I need all FarFrozen to report to my location immediately. I have found the Great One, and he is in need of medical attention."

* * *

The entire group was easily transported with the use of the FarFrozens' hover carts since they were made to carry heavy loads. The fact that these ghosts had such technology was a little more than surprising to several of the group considering the fact that they had been attacked with something as simple as a spear. That added to the fact that the village they were heading too looked less high-tech than the village they visited back in Greenland, only made it more astonishing. There was small group of the FarFrozen waiting for them as they halted at the village's center. The one at the forefront wore a blue cape, and was obviously the leader to anyone paying attention. "Where is he?" Frostbite asked with a serious tone as Tundra hopped out to salute him.

"Polaris has him in the other craft." The aforementioned FarFrozen held the boy carefully in his arms as he jumped from the craft.

"I shall take him to the infirmary my Lord."

Frostbite nodded to him. "Good, I have already made preparations."

"Sir, what shall I do with the others? These humans, and King Ulraj?" Tundra asked with serious expression.

Frostbite looked over to them in contemplation. They had all filed out of the crafts, and one of the women was even following after Polaris. "Take them to one of the Gathering Halls, and I want them under tight surveillance. We do not yet know the nature of these mortals. I will come and sort out the business of them as soon as I am able. Aside from that, treat them to your best judgement."

"Sir!" The FarFrozen responded as his squad member began to gather them together.

"You are not allowed inside there human." One of them ordered as he grabbed Maddie by the shoulder. She instantly flipped him in a mostly reflexive attempt to keep up with her son. That seemed to surprise the other ghosts who immediately became somewhat hostile. "It would be unwise to continue this path human. We do not wish to harm you." Tundra declared with a stern tone.

"The only unwise thing I could do here is allow ghosts I've never met to run off with my son! I don't care if you're supposed to be his friends!" She shot back as she took a defensive stance.

"Then I have no choice, you have been warned." Tundra motioned for his men to surround her.

"Hold on Tundra!" Frostbite suddenly ordered as he stepped past him. "I shall handle this one, and you will take the others into the Gathering Hall." He then turned to the unsurprisingly hesitant Fenton as she eyed him warily. "Please allow me to guide you to where he has been taken, and accept my apologies for the hostility Mother of the Great One." He finished with a respectful bow. Now Maddie's guard was completely shattered by the ghosts' humble gesture. She watched him with confusion as he headed towards the cavern that her son was taken in. "If you would follow me?" She took one look back at the others who were just as confused as she was. The other FarFrozen had begun guiding them to a different cavern, but they didn't make any efforts to resist. She then turned back to her furry guide who wore a benevolent smile. She took a breath and followed him. Danny had claimed they were very friendly, and helpful. Even Ulraj held that opinion, so she really needed to stop with her ghost paranoia. 'Not all ghosts are evil' She thought to herself. A few days ago she would have laughed at herself…. A lot has happened in these few days. "I hope that I can show you that we wish only to help the Great One, not to harm. Your trust is not misplaced with us." Frostbite informed as he lead her down an icy hall.

"I never said I trusted you ghost, but my son trusts you." She responded with a cold tone. Trust has to be earned after all. She'd wait to see just how helpful they wanted to be…. And that thing they kept calling him… Great One? She wasn't sure of anything, even why he was called that.

Frostbite stopped in front of a metal door and pressed the button on the side. They opened with a silent motion to reveal a very high-tech medical center. Danny was easy to spot with the group of FarFrozen huddled near his bed. They had already begun looking him over with scanning devices, and had him hooked up to a bedside monitor. "Please feel free to observe but I ask that you do not interfere." Frostbite requested as he gestured to the halfa. He then approached the bed himself while Maddie stayed near the door. "What do you have so far? Anything?"

A FarFrozen of a smaller frame approached from the bedside monitor. "Nothing so far my Lord, but we have yet to get a core reading. Something seems to be interfering with our sensor." She explained as she struck her chest in salute.

"Interference? What could be causing such a thing?"

"Lord Frostbite, I found something inside his suit." A FarFrozen called out as he finished unzipping Danny's jumpsuit. "It appears to be a small metal disk." He picked it up easily, but nearly dropped it once he noticed the prominent irritation it helped conceal. "My Lord… I think you need to see this…"

Frostbite approached curiously to see the dark green rash that sat square on the teen's chest. "It has gotten worse." He stated with grave tone. "Permafrost, try the core readings again. We need to check on whether they are stable now." He then turned to another FarFrozen who was holding the metal device found on Danny. "Hail Stone, I want you to look through whatever data we have on the physical manifestations of curses, and boons. I do not believe this is a natural ailment."

"A curse?! You think Danny was cursed!?" Maddie suddenly asked from behind. "What kind of diagnosis is that supposed to be?"

Frostbite took a breath before turning back to her. "It is not, I simply wish to cover as many possibilities as I can. When the Great One came to me last week about the rash, I had very little to go on as to its cause. Based on how it appears now, I merely do not wish to throw out the possibility. I implore you to remain calm." Considering his worry, and the mother's demanding tone, the fact that Frostbite remained calm only showed his leadership experience.

"H-He came to you before? How long has this been going on?" Maddie asked with only worry in her tone.

Frostbite seemed pleased that she was no longer angry. He directed her away from the occupied bed and to the other side of the room where they would stay out of the way. "Please have a seat Honored Relative." She took the offer and sat on the unoccupied bed. "As I understand it, you were unaware of the Great One's actions under his Phantom persona correct?" Maddie nodded with a disheartened expression. "And I should also assume that based on what you just asked that you have only recently learned of his secret?"

The scientist nodded again. It had only been a few days for them, and she still only knew as much as Danny wanted her too…. Or he would've said something about this. "Do I even know him anymore….." The more she learned about him the more she realized she didn't know about her own son.

"Of course you do." Frostbite corrected with a grin. "You are his mother. When a child begins to keep secrets from his parents it is their way of becoming independent. While not all secrets are a good thing, you should still be proud that he tries on his own. You of course, being his mother, would have noticed subtle changes in him. You are not to be blamed for being unable to read his mind." He then looked over to the young halfa as he was cared for. "I am sure that you know him better than anyone else. I am very positive of that. There are things about a child that only the mother will ever truly know."

Frostbite's wisdom seemed to make her feel better strangely enough. There was something about his tone that seemed so careful, and sincere. "Thank you uh… Frostbite was it?"

He nodded. "Yes, and you should think nothing of it. I am merely conveying my honest opinion."

Maddie shook her head in amused disbelief. This situation sort of reminded her of that other ghost who came to Amity Park, Pandora. She was only there for a couple of hours to help sort out some crazy infestation, but she never seemed evil. Even more surprising was how Jack never even made a single hostile move against her despite his wild tendencies. She had simply filed that under a strange occurrence, but now… was it so strange? She let out a breath and turned back to her son. "Now what were you saying about this rash of his?"

Frostbite tapped his chin in thought. "Ah yes, the Great One came to us last week about it. At the time it was a minor discoloration and claimed that it itched occasionally. Since it is only present in his ghost form he thought that we would be able to identify it." The FarFrozen then let out a sigh. "Sadly that has not been the case. No ailment that we are familiar with gives these symptoms specifically. Of course once we have his core readings we may be able to better understand exactly how it is affecting him though we may need more data still. We only have the readings from the previous week, and what we can gather now." The furry ghost seemed a bit disappointed by their lack of progress, but he could only do what he could.

That revelation sparked an idea in Maddie's mind as she remembered the sensor they had taken off of Danny. "So what you're saying is, if you had more data you'd have a better chance of figuring out exactly what happened to my son?"

Frostbite raised his brow. "Ah yes, we would indeed, but as I said before, it is something we do not have at the moment."

Maddie rummaged through her suit pocket. "But I might." She stated to the confusion of the FarFrozen. "That sensor that was taken off Danny, it was mine." She revealed as she pulled out her scanning device. "It has been taking readings for over 24 hours now. Could you use this?"

Frostbite looked at her in astonishment as she held out the device with a hopeful expression. He slowly took the scanner from her and looked it over. "You have been taking his core readings for the last day? Were you actually aware of his condition then?" He asked in confusion.

Maddie shook her head. "No I was…. I was worried about his powers. How they affected him, and he'd been acting… I felt he was hiding something and it had something to do with his powers, so I asked him to let me scan him."

The FarFrozen seemed to look at her strangely a moment before looking back down at the device. She seemed a bit disheartened before seeing a grin cross the ghost's face. "This is most helpful Honored Relative to the Great One! I will see that this is put into our system immediately." He then suddenly hugged her out of nowhere lifting her from the bed in the process. "Thank you!"

She was set down quickly enough though it took her a moment to take in the sudden action as it was. She sat back down as she calmed her surprise. "No…. I should thank you." She looked up to him with a sincere smile. "For helping my son."

* * *

 **So there we go. I've been really working this one because of all the little details I've been embedding in it. Please let me know if something sounds confusing since I already found 3 weird inconsistencies while I checked it over just be fore submitting. I fix them, but there may be more. I hope not...**

 **Anyway, so the secret decoder ring thing was a suggestion from my dad. He was one of those dorks who ordered one from the back of an old comic book once. Also, if anyone is curious about what a Flizard is just let me know and I'll include more info about them in the next chapter. I use these ghosts in lots of my stories though, I'd imagine a great deal of ya'll already know what they are.**

 **I hope ya'll enjoyed, and you never know... I may just update again next week. "hint hint" Of course I may just forget, but if ya'll remind me? "hint hint" Anyway, comments and opinions are welcome below!=^-^=**


	17. Chapter 17 - Invited Surprise

**Happy Saturday all! My day wasn't as horrible as a typical Saturday during tailgate season so I can post. Plus you all were so kind to leave reviews and I do so love those. Anyway, some of my favorite ghosts from the DP universe are the FarFrozen. Here and in the next chapter I will add my own touches of head-cannon on them, and they are very important to the story itself. (Trust me) This means less physical action, but I hope it will be interesting enough for ya'll.=^-^=**

 **Ch.17 - Invited Surprise**

* * *

Inside the Gathering Hall, Ulraj and the Saturdays waited patiently while talking amongst themselves. While the Saturdays sat at a long table, Ulraj was treated to an assortment of cushions, and held the attention of the FarFrozen watching over the group. "Is there anything else you request your majesty? You need but ask."

Ulraj waved his hand. "No, I'm fine for the moment Winter Fall."

The FarFrozen bowed in response. "Then simply call if you should require anything else." He then stepped back to his position at the door.

"Why is he the only one getting room service?" Doyle asked in annoyance as he watched Ulraj partake of a warm drink, and was kept warm by a blanket. No one else had even been asked if they wanted or needed anything.

"That is because I am a King." The kumari stated as if it was obvious.

Doyle rubbed his arms. "Yeah, well this place needs a heater for the guests that aren't so lucky."

"Just think about something else Doyle. I'm sure we'll be able to do something about it once their leader comes back." Drew tried to console as she rubbed her own arms and leaned against her husband.

Doc then turned to his son. "Then here's something. Where in the world did you find that Raiju Zak? Not only are they extremely rare, but indigenous to Japan only."

The young man scratched his head as he sat in Fiskerton's lap. The lemurian had been helping him warm up. "I don't really know….. It was just sort of there." He tried to explain. "After I woke up on the island I followed that ghost cat's tracks to these weird ruins. After a few hours of looking around aimlessly I heard this crazy loud noise which turned out to be Danny. He looked like he'd just run a marathon or something, but we didn't get to talk much before Francis showed up."

"So you knew they were looking for you in the ruins?" His mother asked in surprise.

"Yeah," He responded with a nod. "Danny phased me through a wall before they could see me so I didn't get caught with him. All he said was 'figure something out' before tossing me through the wall. After that, I followed those agents to where the airship was but stayed hidden." Zak then crossed his arms and closed his eyes in deep thought. "That's when I suddenly had this feeling… like when I use my powers on a cryptid only I didn't know where it was. I saw those white suited guys with those electric prods, and suddenly I could feel it nearby. That's when the Raiju showed up. With its help I knew I could get you guys out of Epsilon's trap."

Doc rubbed his chin. "So it was already on the island for some reason?"

He turned to his wife. "You think maybe it homed in on Zak like the others?"

"It's a possibility Doc." His wife responded with a curious nod.

"So basically Mini Man needs help, and then this Raiju simply shows up just in time? That's a pretty big coincidence if you ask me."

"That's true, but maybe that's why." Doc began with a serious tone.

"So it knew I needed help, and that's why it came?" The young boy asked as he fiddled with his claw.

"Precisely." His father clarified. "Remember, Kur's power is supposed to be able to control an army of Cryptids. I imagine that means calling for Cryptids in the area as well."

"Maybe more than that." Drew started in as she looked towards her son. "It could have been that you reached out with your powers without realizing it. You could have instinctively called for help." She then turned back to her husband. "Just think about it Doc, the strangest Cryptid migrations didn't start until after the Secret Scientists found out about Zak. We've been constantly on the move since then, not to mention having to fight off the scientists, Nagas, and any other wild Cryptid we may have been trying to investigate during that time."

Doc crossed his arms as he thought over her theory. "It does make some sense-"

"Okay then, what about the giant birds that attacked us over the Atlantic? They didn't really seem to be trying to help Zak at all." Doyle pointed out as he leaned on one arm.

"True, but there could be a reason for that sort of thing too. Not all of the Cryptids we've come across were eager to listen to Zak even with his powers."

"We'll keep it as a working theory for now then Drew. I'm sure we'll be able to figure out more if we take a better look into those ruins back on the island." Doc ended as he turned to the guarded door. "For now though, I'm beginning to wonder where this 'Lord Frostbite' is, and where he took Maddie and her son."

Drew nodded. "It has been awhile. You think maybe we can ask Winter Fall about it?"

"If he'll listen." Doyle griped sarcastically. "I doubt we're 'royal' enough for that." This was an obvious jab back at Ulraj who was the only one not freezing that didn't have their own fur coat.

"I wouldn't worry." The kumari cut in. "The FarFrozen are more than likely treating them both well."

Doyle turned to him with a raised brow. "Your faith is amazing considering you just met them a few hours ago."

Ulraj scoffed at his sarcastic tone. "I know more than you, and besides, a king must have an excellent judge of character."

"We'll take your word for it." Zak stated with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, I think Ulraj is right about what they're doing with Danny and his mom. Did you guys catch what they called him?" It was said a couple of times, so everyone quickly nodded. (The Great One) Fiskerton growled with his hands up to enunciate it.

"Yes, but I wonder why?" Drew asked as she rubbed her chin.

"It must have been Great." Doyle joked as he grinned at his own pun.

"Hilarious…" Drew responded as she rolled her eyes.

"Look, he's a superhero. Does a great act of heroism really seem out of the question?" Doyle defended, but his sister simply shook her head.

She then turned to Ulraj. "So what else do you know about these FarFrozen? About their culture? Way of Life?"

The royal kumari seemed very enthusiastic about the question as he cleared his throat to speak. "Well according to what I have been told through both my father and grandfather, no kumari but the king was ever allowed to see the FarFrozen's kingdom, though I'd imagine special considerations could be made. I suppose that would be here in this world. For this reason, knowledge about them, and their way of life was very limited. On the other hand FarFrozen came to our city in groups for trade and things like that. They were strong, and very festive people who enjoyed athletic pursuits. My grandfather told me about this competition that fascinated him, but he was never told what it was called. As far as individuals though, I was told specifically of their king, who was known as King Cold. It was he who initiated the interaction of our people. He was always described as strong, wise, and benevolent; a perfect model for any king." It showed in his voice that Ulraj seemed to very much believe that fact.

"King Cold? Are all of their names winter related?" Doyle wondered with a raised brow.

"Now that you mention it… Winter Fall, Tundra… Frostbite? They really are all winter themed." His sister agreed.

"Hello? Frozen wasteland? What's odd about that?" Zak pointed out as if it were obvious. Fiskerton quickly agreed with a growl as he pointed at the boy. (He's right.)

"Whatever, all I know is that I'm freezing, not to mention the fact that I haven't eaten anything all day." Doyle reiterated in annoyance now that the conversation had run dry.

"Then we shall have to rectify that situation now won't we?" They all turned to see Frostbite just entering the room followed by several others with plates of food. They quickly set them on the table in front of their guests who seemed quite surprised at the spread. "And also, please accept my apologies about the cold. With your arrival being so sudden, I did not think to prepare. It is standard that guests bring their own defense against the cold when they visit. I have been informed that you all were not given such a chance, and so please accept these." He announced as another FarFrozen entered with a stack of fur jackets.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." The young ex-mercenary declared as he donned the warm clothing.

"See Doyle, patience can be rewarding." Drew told him with a superior tone.

"And for you your Majesty, I do hope this cuisine will be to your liking. It has been quite some time since our last contact with the Kumari."

Ulraj respectfully bowed his head. "It is quite fine Lord Frostbite. I appreciate your hospitality." His diplomatic tone couldn't quite hide his excitement. "It is a great honor to be here in the FarFrozen. I had heard so much about."

"What about Danny and Mrs. Fenton?" Zak asked as he leaned over Fisk's arm. "Is Danny okay?"

Frostbite turned and nodded. "Ah yes, the Great One and his mother are fine. He is being cared for in our infirmary, and she is staying in there with him for now. You shouldn't worry, and he should be up and around by tomorrow. You are all welcome to stay as companions of the Great One of course, and we will be happy to provide sleeping arrangements." He then turned to Ulraj. "And since you are here your Majesty, I welcome you to attend tomorrow's festivities. If my memory does not deceive me then Kumari Kandum is one of our ancient allies. As such, you will be given a place of honor with our other invited guests."

Ulraj almost jumped out of his blanket at the invitation. "Of course!" Realizing he was a bit over excited he quickly calmed. "Yes, uh well, it would be an honor Lord Frostbite. What is it you are celebrating?"

"It is our annual Union Festival. A time of celebration after the storm season ends. We'll have several events as entertainment, as well as food."

Doc seemed a bit put off by the invitation. "We appreciate the invitation, but we need get back to the ruins."

Drew then stood to cut him off. "Actually we'd be happy to stay. We appreciate the hospitality." She then pulled his shoulder down to whisper to him.

"What are you doing?" He grumbled silently.

"This is golden opportunity Doc. A chance to take a break without worrying about Epsilon or the Secret Scientists. Just look at Zak." She finished as she turned to the preteen who seemed to be getting excited with Fiskerton over the festival.

Doc quickly changed his frown for a smile. "I suppose you have a point there. Now that I think about it, we came to get their help so waiting for this thing to be over is a good idea." He compromised without much resistance. Even he knew it was a good idea to relax every once in a while…. Be it ever so rare.

"Wonderful! Once you have finished here, Winter Fall will show you to your rooms. He and Hail Fall will remain here should you require any further needs." With that closing statement, Frostbite exited the room with a confident stride.

"Okay, I'll take back that comment about you having too much faith in these guys." Doyle stated as he looked over the small feast. "You were right on the money your highness."

Though he sounded sarcastic when referring to him 'respectfully', Ulraj took the attempted apology as it was. "Of course I was."

"So what about this festival they're having?" Zak started as he made a grab for what appeared to be chicken. "You said you heard about a special sport they do right? What was it?"

Ulraj took a moment to think about how to put it. "Well, as I said, I do not know its name, but it is supposed to be like a sort of battle. They have several participants fight amongst themselves for a large audience."

"So what, boxing? Or is it some kind of fight to the finish, battle royal thing?" Doyle asked out of only an inkling of curiosity.

"It sounds like the gladiator fights of ancient Rome." Drew cut in with a distasteful expression. "Would such a friendly civilization like this really have such a violent contest?"

Ulraj quickly realized there was a misunderstanding and waved his hand to rectify it. "No, I think you have the wrong idea. This battle is not done with weapons like swords or spears. They do not even fight with their bare hands. It is supposed to be done with snow, and ice. They can form teams, and build walls out of what they have around. They then attack each other with the snow."

Zak gave a disbelieving expression as he thought about the idea. "Hold on…. These guys basically have a giant Snow Ball Fight? Are you kidding me?"

Ulraj raised his brow at him. "A Snow Ball Fight? Hmm…. I suppose that does sound right. Making a ball from the snow would make it easier to hit someone with it…"

Both Zak and Fiskerton instantly began laughing at their clueless friend. Ulraj was immediately bewildered by the response. "Now boys…. It's not polite to-" Drew was cut off as she tried to resist laughing herself.

"Ulraj and his people obviously don't come in contact with a lot of snow. It would make sense that he wouldn't know what a Snow Ball Fight was." Doc finished for his wife with a forced serious expression. Ulraj simply sulked as he leaned back against a large cushion.

* * *

The halfa turned sleepily on his bed in the infirmary as he stirred to consciousness. The tug of the morning was, as it would to any teenager in the summer, more than uninvited. "Great One?" He heard only slightly as he raised his hands to cover his face. He groaned sleepily as he stretched, having given up sleeping with a strange nagging thought in his head. "Great One, are you alright?" He heard far more clearly as he dropped one hand from his eyes to peek them open.

He saw a large white blur before focusing his gaze to see a familiar FarFrozen. "Frostbite?" He muttered in confusion as his vision cleared further to show he was not in his room or on the airship. He sat up a little faster than he should have, and quickly leaned on one hand when the dizzy spell set in. "Whoa…. Too fast."

"Please Great One, do not push yourself so quickly. I do not wish for you to accidentally harm yourself."

Danny weaved his fingers through his hair with a furrowed brow. "Frostbite…?" He then raised his head to look upon his jovial ally.

"Yes Great One, it is I Frostbite." The FarFrozen responded.

"So I'm in the FarFrozen? What happened?" Danny asked as he confirmed his surroundings for himself.

Frostbite wore a serious expression as he gestured to the halfa's chest. "That rash of yours Great One. It has gotten much worse since you came to us last."

Danny looked down at the sickly green mark with distaste. "Ugh…. So that was what happened."

Frostbite nodded as he pulled up a screen beside the bed. "Yes Great One, and now I believe I have an idea of what it could be." The screen showed a silhouette of Danny with his core depicted at his chest. "Recall Great One, of when I spoke to you about the nature of your ghost core. Its readings, while they can be similar to others, are as unique as every individual ghost in our world."

He then brought up some sort of line frequency graph below the image. "This was your core reading from when you came to us with your Undergrowth problem. When a ghost develops a new ability naturally, this reading does not change significantly nor will it over the course of one's existence. It is much like the very DNA of a ghost. That does not mean it cannot change or that the change is necessarily a bad thing." He then brought up another one that looked almost the same, but if you looked long enough you could see the difference. "This was your energy signature last week. We detected a minor deviation, and something like this can be quite common in ghosts, but only temporarily." He then pulled up a third graph and this one, while still similar, was far from the same. The frequency seemed much more rapid, and had a higher range. "This is your core readings as of now."

Danny raised a brow as he noted the equipment around him, and even the sensors on his chest and one of his arms. "This rash is…"

"Yes Great One, it seems to be related to your energy's deviation. This amount of deviation is far from normal, and can be very grave. It's physical effects seemed to start with itching, and grew worse from there?" He inquired though he had a feeling his guess was spot on.

"Yeah… in the last few days it started to hurt." Danny admitted as he placed his hand over it lightly.

"As I thought though I do suppose the good news in this case is that it should not have any other lingering effects for now."

Danny raised a brow and looked at him. "You know what it is?!"

Frostbite took a moment to think on it so he would word it properly. "Well Great One, I am only certain it is an external force." He then turned to the monitor and pressed a few keys. "You see with the information we were able to gather from your mother's scanning device, we were able to see the source of the deviation caused a ripple like effect on you. If it had been an internal source it would have been far more subtle. This recording here is what we believe to be the cause of your black out yesterday." The calm energy wave seemed to be suddenly shaken up by something before finding equilibrium again though different then how it started.

"Something attacked me?" Danny asked in confusion. He remembered the sharp pain now, but not what caused it.

Frostbite shook his head. "No, I believe it to be some sort of connection. This energy pulse that disturbed your natural energy flow reacted directly on your core Great One. I know of not a single ghost capable of such a feat; at least not in this way. This appears to be some sort of energy connection, something not uncommon between ghouls and their masters, or certain artifacts of the zone which require a specific host."

Danny looked down at his chest again with a furrowed brow. "A connection? I don't understand? What am I connecting to? Is there a way I can stop it?" The halfa asked with a worried and very confused tone.

Frostbite turned to him and placed a claw on his shoulder. "I am not certain Great One, but for now you needn't be too worried. Our scanners indicate your energy signature to be quite stable, even more so than it was on your prior visit. It would seem that this boon is almost complete."

Danny turned to the screen as he dropped his hand from his chest. "Okay… but what's a boon?"

"It is what we call an energy that acts on a ghost in a positive way. Its opposite is called a curse, and acts on its victim in a negative way. Despite the painful sensations this connection seems to be giving you, all of our other scans indicate no other ill effects. It is more likely a side effect of the change than the cause." He then pulled up a bar scale. "And it would also seem that your physical rate of recovery has increased. The physical trauma we could only relate to electrocution seems to have healed completely. How are you feeling?"

Danny paused a moment as he lifted both of his arms. He practiced a few tense movements before raising both brows in surprise. "I feel… I feel great actually." He finally revealed as he stretched his back a bit. "I haven't felt this good in weeks." He seemed suddenly happy at the thought. All of the pain he'd been tolerating from the rash, the stress from late nights during finals, and even the interrogation from before, it was all gone.

Frostbite smiled at the teen's change in demeanor. "I suppose you would. Please try to relax now, and enjoy our Union Festival. You are just in time to join us."

Danny rubbed his chin a moment before he remembered what he was thinking about. "Oh right, that special thing you mentioned you wanted me to come too. I don't know if I can Frostbite," He began with an apologetic expression. "You see me and my mom were actually trying to help out a friend of hers and their family."

Frostbite nodded in acknowledgement. "Ah yes, they have already agreed to join us as well. That is, your companions the Saturdays."

Danny seemed surprised at that before shrugging. "They did? Well I guess if they want to stick around… wait where's my mom? And the Saturdays?" He finally thought to ask rather abruptly.

Frostbite gestured to a bed on the other side of Danny's bed. "Well your mother is resting there. She had fallen asleep watching over you last night and so Permafrost thought to move her into one of the beds so she may rest properly. As for the Saturday's, they were taken, along with his Majesty Ulraj, to our guest quarters. Hail Fall and his brother are giving them their utmost attention."

Danny turned to look at his mom with a relieved expression. She lay fast asleep with a minor expression of worry on her face, and under a warm blanket. "I am most grateful that you could join us after all Great One since we shall be having our festival at the castle for the first time in centuries."

"Castle?" Danny asked with a side glance to him. "I didn't know there was a castle here."

The FarFrozen nodded as he clasped his hands together. "Ah yes, but we have not had access to it until recently. Due to your actions in defeating Pariah Dark, the spell he set on it has dissolved. The spell he used physically separated it from our realm, and cast it into another that we could not access. With his spell now gone, however, it has finally reappeared. It was in one of its many structures that Tundra's patrol found you and your companions."

That explained something then, Danny thought. He remembered arriving in a place he didn't recognize despite his familiarity with the FarFrozen realm. His deep thought was suddenly interrupted by a twisted groan from his stomach which instantly caused his face to flare green in embarrassment. He couldn't really be surprised since he hadn't eaten much since the crash on the island. Frostbite simply laughed jovially as he took up the folded piece of Danny's suit from the table nearby. "Ah Great One, perhaps we should now attend to your more common physical needs now that you are well enough to rise. I have already made arrangements."

Danny took back his top and pulled off the sensors before slipping his arms in the sleeves. He wore a slight grimace as he tried to tone down the flush of his cheeks. "Uh thanks…." He then took another glance down at his chest. "Are you sure this will be okay?"

Frostbite pat him on the shoulder. "From what we have been able to gather it has caused a mild strain on your core, but it is currently stable. Lady Glacia, who will be arriving later today, is far more familiar with such things. I plan to have her opinion on it for I am quite sure I have seen it's like before."

Danny finally zipped his suit back as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. "Whatever," He finally responded with a relieved sigh. "If you think it's going to be fine then I'll take your word for it."

Frostbite was his authority on ghost biology even if Danny himself didn't really get all of it. His trust in Frostbite was more than well-deserved after all. He kept his lingering worry at bay as he followed his woolly ally out of the medical bay. Frostbite waited just outside the doors and addressed Permafrost as she was about to re-enter herself. "There you are Permafrost. Now that the Great One has recovered I would like for you to keep watch over his mother who still rests in the infirmary. You may bring her out to the castle for the festivities when she awakens."

Permafrost struck her chest in salute before looking towards Danny. "As you wish sir. I am glad you are well again Great One, and please enjoy yourself." She wore a warm smile as she turned away to the infirmary. She had always been the most caring of any of the FarFrozen Danny had met though she was also the only female FarFrozen too. It was always weird, but not something he felt he should pry into.

* * *

Out in the village Danny was surprised at the inactivity. Normally when he came to the FarFrozen the furry ghosts were everywhere. This was explained after Frostbite took him on one of their hover carts. The trip to the castle took no time at all, and the population around it was three times what he saw in the village. "Whoa…." He let out in amazement as the grand structure of stone and ice towered over them.

The strange yet magnificent castle sort of reminded him of an igloo with a medieval castle protruding from the top. The dome structure served as the base and other buildings spidered out around it. The only real evidence of its age was the few sections of shattered stone that revealed the inside, and of course the built up ice that coated many places in no particular pattern. "It really is a sight to behold is it not Great One?" Frostbite asked proudly as he hopped off the vehicle. Danny followed as he guided him around. "The main structure will need some tending, but our festivities will be held in the grand arena over here." He pointed ahead and at what appeared to be a large ice wall. The structure was round and the tops were jagged but uniform. There were a handful of tunnels that led into the structure which were all manned by a single FarFrozen to keep watch. "Do you wish to take a peek inside?"

Danny shook his head. "No, I'm sure I'll see it later right?"

The FarFrozen nodded as they both continued on through the estate. "So who else is here? You said before that you were inviting other allies to this didn't you?"

Frostbite seemed pleased he brought it up as turned to him. "Ah! Yes we have, though I'm sad to say our guests have dwindled in the centuries since the festival's inception. I'm looking forward to introducing you."

They were suddenly stopped as a familiar shout rang out from behind them. "Great One!" Danny turned to see Polaris or as Danny called him 'Polar', running to catch up with them holding a small device. "I must speak with you immediately! It is most urgent!"

Frostbite seemed quite confused by his subordinate's outcry. "What has happened Polaris?"

"Is that my phone?" Danny asked on a somewhat different note.

"Yes it is Great One. Your sister has requested your ear. I fear my brother may have made a mistake in journeying to your home this morning."

Danny's eyes went wide. "Thuban did what!?"

Polar seemed rather guilty as he handed the phone to its owner. "Early this morning Thuban took notice of the many unanswered messages of worry on this device of yours. He believed it prudent to go and inform your family that you were in good health."

"In person!?" The halfa questioned back in slight panic. "Why couldn't he just call or wake me up so that I could?"

Polar seemed confused now. "That would have been quite rude. It is always cordial to present important news as this in person if at all possible."

Danny face palmed immediately. It made sense that Frostbite only ever explained things when he visited him in the FarFrozen now, but that wasn't the point. "I am so sorry Jazz." He lamented as he looked at how many times she had called before Polar must've picked up the phone. "I'm just going to call her back real quick." He informed as he gestured to the phone, and flew up out of ear shot. He let out a breath before hitting her name in his contacts list, and steeled himself for what was to come. "Jazz?" He questioned after he heard it connect and remain silent.

"Oh my gosh Danny! What happened? Why didn't you or mom call!? Are you alright?" She bombarded him with so many questions he just had to cut her off before she could fire out a new one.

"Calm down Jazz we're fine. Polar just told me that Thuban went to see you….. what happened?" He asked hesitantly because he was afraid to find out.

"A large yeti like ghost barreled from the portal and claimed to be harboring you and mom safely." She shot back as if it was obvious.

"Uh… yeah, I figured that part. What about dad?"

She seemed to mumble through the phone at first before letting out a breath. "I guess that's the weird part."

The knot in the halfa's stomach loosened as he reflexively raised a row. "What?"

"I've been keeping an eye on them for an hour or so and….. well they are getting along. I don't get it at all, but it's better than the two of them fighting."

Danny was now rather dumb struck as he took a double take to make sure he'd called the right person. "My dad?"

"Yes."

"He's getting along with a ghost?"

"Yes."

"Without being forced to? Does he know Thuban's a ghost?"

"Yes Danny, I know its super weird, but that's what I'm looking at. About three minutes after dad snapped out of his initial shock they somehow got on to the topic of crafts, and haven't stopped talking since." Danny's mind felt like it was on dial-up as the information slowly processed in his brain. Yes his dad has worked alongside a ghost without incident, and one time it had even been Danny as Phantom, but this was….. unexpected? Maybe not quite the word for it. Unlikely sounds better. "Danny? Are you still there?" Jazz wondered on the other side.

"Oh, yeah I'm still here Jazz."

She let out a relieved breath he could easily hear through the phone. "One more thing Danny. I don't know if Dad caught on, but he mentioned you as Phantom, and your relation to me, mom and dad. If he did, I can't see it."

The knot returned full force to halfa's stomach as the reality set in. He'd already known he'd have to tell him when he got home. Mom wasn't going to let him get by like Jazz did. "Um Jazz? I guess I should go ahead and tell you that mom…. Well she figured me out."

"She did?" His sister responded without really sounding surprised. They both knew their mom was smart if not a little unperceptive at times. "Judging by how you said that, I'll assume it went pretty good." Jazz had always known that her mother wouldn't do any of the things Danny was so paranoid over. She'd even wanted to tell them on several occasions when it would have helped Danny, but also knew he should be the one to do it.

"It went pretty well all things considered. She can't help thinking over how the idea of a halfa works, but I can't expect her to not wonder at least. That's how she is about everything, especially ghosts."

He heard a laugh on the other side. Jazz understood that about their mother too. Even the most ridiculous of things made her mother theorize, but not everything garnered more than a few minutes of thought. It was probably why she was so good at coming up with new cookie recipes. "Well, as long as you're both okay. I can only hope I don't have to worry about dad and the ghost here."

"Thuban is a really good guy, so as long as dad doesn't go crazy on him, you shouldn't have to worry. He's pretty pacifistic." Danny explained to help reassure her. "He'll be out of your hair soon enough since he has to come back to help get things set up here…. And…" Danny trailed off as he saw a large lumbering form step out from behind the castle. The familiar ghost didn't look too happy at all as she started to growl at several smaller forms. "Uh-oh…."

"What's wrong Danny?"

"I'll uh… I'll just call you back in a bit." He quickly hung up the phone despite Jazz's obvious dismay, and floated down to Frostbite.

He seemed rather distraught as the scene unfolded before them. "What is he doing here?!" He then dashed off leaving Danny and Polar behind.

"Why come now? He's never accepted the invitation before."

"Who?" Danny asked.

Polar took off into a run which Danny copied. "Lord Igneous. He is lord of the Flizards. There, to the left." He pointed at what appeared to be a lizard made of magma itself. The ambient glow was a purplish-red with a flaming mane down its neck to match.

"Flizards? Wait, don't you guys hate each other? Why did you invite him?"

Polar seemed angry, but kept his calm. "Lord Frostbite does so as a gesture of good faith. We currently maintain an uneasy peace with them you see."

"Well it might just end if Dora gets her claws on him." Danny took flight to intercept the mighty dragon's claw as quickly as he could.

"You miserable, traitorous weasel! How dare you come here! To this place! You haven't the right!" She bellowed at the flaming ghost before Danny suddenly popped into her path.

"Hold on Dora!"

She reared back her head in surprise. "Sir Phantom? Whatever are you doing here?" She quickly remembered what she was doing before she got an answer however. "Please stand aside Sir Phantom! This miserable knave must be taught a lesson once and for all!"

Danny flew closer to her with his hands raised in a negotiative display. "Please hold on Dora! I'm sure Frostbite doesn't want his guests to fight like this."

She narrowed her eyes at him before looking past him at the Flizard. "Invited!? Why ever would he invite that wretch!?" She asked him with steam lifting from her nostrils.

"Please your majesty! I ask that you do not harm him for he truly was invited to come." Frostbite shouted so that she could hear from her great height.

Dora seemed cross by the information as she sat back on her haunches. "Was it not his people who slew.. .." She stopped and let out a snort that billowed steam. "Very well then. While I do not understand your reasoning Lord Frostbite, I will respect your wishes as your guest." She then turned back to Danny who had floated down closer to the snowy ground. "You as well Sir Phantom. For your faith in his judgement, I will hold it as well."

Danny wore an appreciative smile as he grounded himself in the snow. "Thanks Dora." She nodded before sending one last glare at Igneous and turning around to address another strange ghost Danny didn't recognize.

"My gratitude Great One." Frostbite said with a claw on Danny's shoulder. "You were much quicker than I in defusing that situation."

"It's no problem Frostbite. I didn't want a fight either." Danny responded as he turned to the Flizard who watched from only a few yards away.

Frostbite turned as well to address the sudden guest. "Lord Igneous, I was told that you declined our many invitations. Please do not think me ungracious, but why the sudden change of mind?" Frostbite's tone was obviously tempered since it lacked his usual lively feel.

Lord Igneous flicked his tongue with a slight smirk. "Oh I understand Lord Frostbite," He began with a somewhat sarcastic tone. "But I simply could not pass it up when I heard that this supposed 'Great One' was in attendance. It's only fitting I pay my respects to he who brought down the mighty Pariah Dark." Igneous narrowed his yellow eyes at the halfa. "Though I am quite surprised. Please excuse my rudeness, but I thought he would be more fitting in appearance for such a reputation." He then approached Danny until he was less than two yards away. "So this is the fabled halfa? Phantom was it?"

"Yes." He answered promptly as he stood confidently. He took a breath before placing his left fist to the right side of his chest. "It is an honor Lord Igneous."

The Flizard raised a brow at the tense display. He then lowered his head but kept it level with the ground while he raised his left claw to hover over his left shoulder. "The honor is mine Phantom." His tone seemed slightly insincere, but Danny couldn't be sure since he'd never met a Flizard before.

Frostbite cleared his throat as he performed the same gesture Danny had moments ago. "Greetings on behalf of my people Lord Igneous. Though we were slightly ill prepared for your arrival, we will do our best to accommodate you as an honored guest." His brow then sharpened and a slight scowl could be seen on his furry face. "I must ask you though, to treat the other guests with equal respect." He then placed both his claws on Danny's shoulders. "And within our realm you will show this respect to the Great One by calling him as such."

Igneous' expression seemed to sour slightly at the understated command, but Danny raised his hand to get Frostbite to back off. "It's fine Frostbite." He stated as he kept a stern gaze on the Flizard. "He doesn't have to call me that. No one has to call me that. Phantom is fine." A short silence ensued as the three of them watched each other.

The flaming ghost then flicked his tongue again and let out a laugh. "Well then Phantom, may you burn from the inside out." You could see what could almost be a smile form on his face as he turned back to the castle. He looked on it as he traced its edge curiously. As soon as he was out of sight Danny released a tense breath.

Frostbite released a lively chuckle as he pat the halfa's shoulders. "Well done Great One, well done indeed."

Danny gripped his fist at shoulder level as he clenched his teeth. "Man I wanted to punch that guy so badly."

"Why didn't you?" Zak asked as he approached from behind. "Judging by how everyone else was looking at him, no one would blame you." He continued as he glanced where the Flizard was last seen. Fiskerton and Ulraj trailed behind with impressed expressions.

"Oh believe me, I was this close." The halfa expressed with his fingers.

"That creepy lizard would have deserved it though." Zak reiterated as he remembered the smug tone the ghost had used when he first approached the area.

"He may have deserved it Zak, but I couldn't do that."

Ulraj nodded in agreement while Zak raised a confused brow. "Yes, and might I say, your self-control was simply stunning Great One." Danny winced at the title as Ulraj turned to Zak. "You see Zak, when it comes to political situations you cannot simply act on an impulse because the other party deserves it. You're liable to start a war. It is a leader's duty, or in this case a representative's duty, to remain in control, and not fall prey to baiting remarks for the good of their people." He said it with such a proud tone Zak almost rolled his eyes.

Fiskerton then wagged his finger in anger. (But what about what he said?) "That's right." Zak recounted. "He made that jerky remark about asking Danny to burn up or something." Danny remembered it too with slight distaste before a hardy laugh rang out above their heads.

"Oh you misunderstand young one. I know it may have sounded like some sort of spiteful remark to you but I assure you it most definitely wasn't." Frostbite explained with a grand smile. He then pat Danny's shoulder. "You see that is actually a very respectful expression of the Flizards. It is common for Flizards to use this when they see someone as an equal."

Danny raised a surprised brow. "Really? But he seemed so…."

Frostbite nodded in understanding. "Yes, but it is very hard to tell sometimes when a Flizard is giving respect to a non-Flizard. We of the FarFrozen also have an expression like this that is often misinterpreted. 'May you freeze for eternity and longer.' This is a wish for the long life of another."

"Well then…" Danny started as scratched the side of his face. "I guess he's not entirely a creep."

The halfa conceded. Zak shrugged. "He's still mostly a jerk to me."

"Ditto." Danny instantly agreed.

"So your majesty, how do you like the realm of the FarFrozen so far? I trust you are enjoying yourself?"

The young kumari nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! How could I not with all the gracious hospitality you've shown me? I consider it an honor to be the first kumari in centuries to be welcomed into your kingdom." He expressed with a slight bow.

Frostbite let out his hand for him to stop. "Please do not feel you must do such things for me your majesty. The FarFrozen is no kingdom, but a realm. What is a kingdom with no king after all?" He expressed with a soft grin.

"But are you not the king of this land?" Ulraj countered with a confused brow.

"Not at all your majesty. I am known as Lord of the FarFrozen, but I am no king." Frostbite revealed.

Ulraj raised a hand to his chin in thought. "Well I suppose it could have changed in hundreds of years. You see my grandfather used to tell me stories about the benevolent and noble King Cold, and I simply assumed this land retained a monarchy as mine does." He apologized with a slight flush on his cheeks.

Frostbite nodded amicably. "Oh did he now? I must admit, it warms me that tales of his greatness are still told despite the centuries we had with no contact." His smile then seemed to become sad as he continued. "But I must correct you about one thing your majesty. The FarFrozen was never a monarchy. We only ever had one king, whom you know as King Cold. I must also inform you that, although he truly was great beyond words, my father died a long time ago." He then brought a fist to his chest and took a slight bow. "Please excuse me for a moment Great One, I must attend to Lord Igneous' arrangements."

* * *

 **And there's that. Can anyone say "party in the ghost zone?" It'll be something interesting, or at least that's my intention. I really try to keep things interesting even when it doesn't involve a fight.**

 **So Danny's issue seems fine for now, and I hope at least some of you figured it out by now. I know someone has. The explanation about core's and junk was all head-cannon so take it with a grain of salt alright? It's not bad science, just fan-science.**

 **Also, it would seem that Jack may or may not have been informed of Danny's secret. I know it was mean of me to leave that so ambiguous, but what can I say? You should know me by now.**

 **Last thing. You may have noticed Danny's tendency to stay out of the limelight in this story. This also shows when he isn't exactly a fan of the Title Great One. Even though in the show he enjoyed being popular, it generally resulted badly for him. I like to think he grew to prefer being treated like one of the crowd in most cases. (emphasis on MOST)**

 **Thx for reading this far into my story and I hope you'll leave a review! I love to hear what ya'll think of the story. Also feel free to ask questions if something doesn't seem clear.=^-^=**


	18. Chapter 18 - Fesival

**So it has been awhile, but here's a nice end of the year gift! A new chapter full of fun stuff. Now must of it is set up for what comes next, but I'm not quite done with that part yet, and I wanted to give you something before the new year. This a good size though so enjoy.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 18 - Festival**

* * *

Drew and Doc looked out from one of the many tall towers around the castle at the view. The wintery wasteland was more like some snowy fantasy compared to what they'd seen before. "Can you believe it Doc? And entire culture built on ice and snow. A rich and vibrant culture like one you'd find in the first world nations of Europe. It's incredible."

"I know." Her husband answered as he looked over by the large arena that resembled a large and jagged ice crown from their vantage point. "To think that an entire civilization bridged two worlds at one time. I wonder just what the kumari would be if they'd never done that."

Drew let out an amused laugh. "Who knows? Based on how Ulraj puts it, they might not be around at all."

"It makes me wonder though." Doc began as he leaned on the sturdy brick railing. "What happened?"

Drew looked at him and seemed to understand what he meant. "You mean why did they stop visiting the kumari and other civilizations?" Doc simply nodded. "Well, it could have been a number of reasons if you think about it. Just look at this castle. Maybe it was some sort of ghost zone conflict."

"It's more plausible than thinking it was one in our world. There would have some sort of record somewhere." Doc seemed pretty sure, but not completely. A silence followed as they both looked out over the icy land. Doc looked up at the green sky, and took note of the random doors that floated about. "That's giving me a headache." He grumbled which made his wife laugh.

"Come on Doc, I think it's time you let it go." She encouraged as she took his arm. "When Maddie gets here maybe she could have an answer for you, but you might just have to let this place go. You don't need to be able to explain everything."

"Ignore it huh? Why not? This place already ignores half the laws of physics." The scientist answered sarcastically.

Drew leaned on him with a smirk. "I won't blame you." They both felt a sudden gust of wind from their right as the temperature dropped. "Another storm?" Drew asked as she looked out at the clouds that were fading into existence in the distance.

"I plead the fifth." Doc replied, not ready to try and deduce how this world really worked. They were even more grateful for the jackets when the snow started to come down. "Looks like they're gathering outside." Doc then pointed down towards the area just before the snowy expanse. Drew held out her hand to the snow. "I thought they said they weren't supposed to have any more storms?"

"Maybe it's something else." Doc then pointed to a dark cluster approaching through the snow.

* * *

"Come now Honored Relative! It is about to begin!" Permafrost held tight to Maddie's hand as she guided her out into the falling snow. They had only just arrived, and before the young scientist could even step two feet into the castle her guide had pulled her out.

"What exactly is beginning?" She asked as she kept up as best she could.

"The others are coming!" She pulled her along around the castle until the two of them saw the large group of FarFrozen clustered watching the empty expanse beyond. Snow clouds poured over the sky, and the closer they got to the group, the harder it snowed. As soon as they joined the others Maddie was able to catch her breath enough to realize it was much colder than before. Even with the fur jacket, she found herself shivering.

"Hey Mrs. F." Doyle called from a few FarFrozen in. He pushed his way to the back to see her. "I was wondering when you were going to show. I saw Danny near the front." He then pulled the coat tighter around himself. "Have you seen the others around?"

Maddie took a good look around and realized she could only see the yeti like ghosts. She'd even lost track of Permafrost in the group. "No, but I don't think we should stay out here."

Doyle rubbed his hands together. "Sounds good to me." He turned and she followed him towards the castle which had several lit up rooms.

As soon as the FarFrozen guarding the door nearby saw them he opened the door with a worried expression. "What are you doing out here humans? It is very dangerous for any of you be out in this cold. Please follow the left corridor until you come upon the large chamber with the others." He ushered them in with haste before closing the door to keep out the winds. Both humans followed the hall that was lit up with torches of green fire. By the time they reached the large chamber a scattered crowd had gathered there as well.

"Maddie!" Drew called from a long table across the room. She sat with the rest of the Saturdays and Ulraj.

The ghost hunter strode towards her with a smile on her face. "I was looking for all of you." She then pointed to Doyle who was taking a good look around. "Found Doyle first."

"Then that's everyone but Danny." Doc declared.

"Didn't we tell you?" Zak cut in suddenly. "Danny is outside with the FarFrozen right now."

"Yes though how he could stand it is well beyond me." Ulraj added in. Fiskerton agreed with a shiver. Even with his fur coat it was freezing to him.

"Then we should go and get him inside before he freezes." Drew recommended as she stood from the table.

"Hold on Drew, I think he knows what he's doing." Maddie reasoned with a somewhat confident expression.

"Do you wish to see for yourselves?" A FarFrozen appeared from the previous corridor holding a tablet like device that he tapped about on with his claw. "If you wish to see for yourselves you simply need to turn to the far window above. At the end of the room sat a large and ornate chair; a throne. Twisting around behind it on either side was stairs that met at a large window. "As soon as Lady Glacia's procession stops the snow should tapper out enough to see." Maddie was on it much faster than any of the others who followed quickly enough. Even several of the ghostly guests inside over heard and headed over to see.

* * *

Outside Danny stood beside Polar and just behind Frostbite. The lord of the FarFrozen stood point in the group as a large crowd of humanoids grew visible through the snow. "That is them Danny. Keep sharp and quiet until it is over. You'll know the time when you may speak again unless addressed by one of them." The FarFrozen instructed silently.

The approaching crowd grew more and more visible until it was plainly clear that the multitude seemed to be completely female. Their eyes had a light blue glow about them and almost all seemed to be adorned in long eastern dresses that were white or other soft colors of blue and purple. As soon as he could make out the ghost at the forefront they all stopped at once. As if in sync with their movement the snow ceased falling and the wind hushed as to not offend them. "We have arrived oh Lord of the FarFrozen." The lead woman called in a formal tone.

"And we welcome you oh Lady of the FarFrozen." Frostbite answered back in a matching tone. She then stepped forwards, and Frostbite followed the action. "Now the Union will begin." He declared as he gestured back to the other FarFrozen. "Permafrost, please come forwards."

"As should you Winter." The lead female called. Permafrost dashed up to the leaders with obvious excitement on her features. A man next walked from the crowd of pale women, and Danny was a bit surprised he hadn't noticed him since he was taller than anyone else in the crowd. They both approached each other seeming suddenly shy when the distance became negligible. "The commitment has been made." The lead female declared as she found her way to the other side of the pair. "You have both walked the mirror paths and have returned to the same crossroads from whence you started." She continued as she raised her arms to either side. "Are you ready to continue on this path?" Neither of them responded and simply watched each other with the warmest expressions.

"Then it is time to cross paths once again." Frostbite declared. Winter immediately started to untie his light blue robe and slid it off his shoulders. Under it, he was wearing a belt and waist cloth which is standard for any Male FarFrozen. He handed the robe to Permafrost who in turn, traded her upper arm bands to him. Once they adorned the traded garments they took each other's hands.

Glacia raised both of her hands up and a gust of snow surrounded the couple to the point that they couldn't be seen at all. A moment passed before the snow tapered out to reveal they had switched spots. No…. they didn't switch spots; switched forms. Permafrost now appeared as the other women with a slightly oversized kimono while Winter stood tall as a wooly FarFrozen. As soon as the two of them embraced the silence ended.

The crowd of mysterious women and the wooly FarFrozen quickly began to mesh together much like the couple had done. Danny was barely able to keep track of Polar through the sudden chaos. He ducked passed a small group to find the large ghost lifting a young girl in a soft purple and white kimono. He spun her around as he held her up which made her giggle happily. "Great One!" The halfa turned to the voice of his friend. Frostbite had done well to clear a path through the excited gathering.

"Frostbite!" He dashed over to him with a million questions. "What was that just now? Who are these ghosts?"

The frosty giant chuckled as he gestured around. "These ladies are also of the FarFrozen or didn't you hear?" He asked in amusement. He then pressed a claw behind the halfa's back. "It's quite alright if you did not. I'm actually quite curious you never asked about our gender division before. Didn't you ever find it strange that Permafrost was the only female in our village?"

Danny flushed as he raised a finger to scratch his cheek. "Well… yeah, but I didn't wanna…. You know, pry?" Frostbite simply laughed boisterously at that.

"Greetings Great One." The woman from before, Lady Glacia, now stood before them. She bowed with her sleeves together and smiled mysteriously at him. "I am honored to finally meet you in person. Frostbite has spoken highly of you, and your deeds are no secret in this world."

Danny wore a humble expression as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's nothing really." He stated with a flustered tone. "You don't have to call me Great One either, just Danny if you want." He offered.

She nodded. "Well regardless of how you feel you have acted, we see you as great," She gave a pause. "Danny." She finished with a wise expression. "Perhaps I will use that name on occasion if you so insist." She then looked over him with intrigue a few more moments before a strange grin formed on her face. "Hopefully we shall talk more later? I must now attend to my duties." She then bowed again and turned to leave.

"That was Lady Glacia, leader of the Snow Women. Of course the Snow Women are FarFrozen as we are as well. This festival, which I was so eager for you to attend, is our oldest symbol of peace and communion. A time when we are all gathered together." He then gestured to the crowd around him. "When families are complete." FarFrozen all around were greeting each other, and embracing in happiness. Danny couldn't help feeling warmed by the sight despite the freezing temperatures. "This may go on for some time Great One, so you may wish to join your own mother inside the castle." The FarFrozen suggested as he gestured to a guarded doorway.

* * *

Back inside the castle several of the invited guests gathered at the upper window along with the humans. They watched as the two groups mingled together though most were quite confused as to what was going on. "Was that some sort of nomadic migration?" Drew wondered as she thought about the group that came from the snowy expanse.

"It looks like a family reunion down there." Zak noted as the festive air caught on.

"The boy is much closer than you human female." A snarky hiss resounded from behind. Zak and Fisk turned their heads with scowls at the familiar voice.

The Saturday Parents simply turned with intrigue. "What do you mean?"

Igneous flicked his tongue as he regarded their curiosity. "The FarFrozen live with a gender divide if you hadn't noticed. Or perhaps you simply assumed they were all male." He ascertained with a smug tone.

Maddie turned to him with a wary and pointed expression. "Then what about the one I was with before? Her name was Permafrost." Igneous pointed to the window.

"Yes, she would be the oddity to an outsider. Be sure to ask her when next you meet once you get over your surprise. In all other circumstances they live separately only coming together at certain times as during this Festival. That is why it is called the Union Festival to begin with." His arrogant tone was abrasive to their ears, but they listened all the same. It was a fascinating concept over all. He sneered once more before heading back down the stairs.

"It has been many years since a Joining has taken place so you humans should consider yourselves lucky." A new ghost said upon approach. He was a pale green with pointed ears and a slim build. They wore a very humble brown robe over their simple tan clothing, and leather boots. He then turned to Ulraj specifically and bowed. "Greetings your majesty. I am Kos, representative of the dryads of Yggdrasil. It is wonderful to see a kumari after such a long time." He then turned oddly enough to Fiskerton. "And an honor as well Lemurian. It is quite a surprise to see you here since I had been under the impression your people had been lost to the centuries. I take solace in the fact this seems to be quite untrue." He then bowed again before turning to leave. "Now excuse me, but I must continue my greetings before things get underway inside." He conveyed as he headed down the steps where most of the others had remained.

"He seemed nice." Zak randomly stated after the ghost was well enough away.

"Better than the lizard guy." Doyle concurred as he crossed his arms. "Anyway, are we just supposed to wait around for them?"

"Honored guests!" They all heard in a loud call. All eyes were at the opposite end of the hall where a stoic FarFrozen stood. "If you would all take your seats, the celebration is about to begin!" After he finished that declaration several more FarFrozen began to enter from behind. They were hoisting a large long table which they placed at the front of the room just before the throne, but perpendicular to the other tables.

All of the other guests quickly began to find seats in no particular arrangement. As those by the window made their ways down no indications of a seating arrangement were given until Doyle approached the head table. "Excuse me human guest, but seating at the head table is reserved to a select few until they have taken their seats. Please feel free to choose any place on one of the other tables." Tundra informed in his standard stuffy and strict tone. As Frostbite's second in command, he was in charge of keeping everything organized and usually kept a distant tone to keep his objectivity. It, unfortunately, usually came off as him being demanding and somewhat anal about things.

"Come on Doyle, let's sit here." Zak called as he waved from a nearby table. The rest of the Saturdays had already taken their seats while Maddie looked through the crowd coming in. The low drum of FarFrozen warriors gave way to the higher tones of their female counter parts as a sizable group entered. They seemed to be very excited, and rather concentrated. Several around the edges seemed to be looking for something or someone while giggles could be heard throughout.

"Those must be the women we saw grouped outside, the female FarFrozen." Drew pointed out from her seat in intrigue.

"Really? They look nothing like the yeti ones." Zak commented with an excited expression.

"I believe I heard about something along these lines, but my grandfather did not seem very sure about it." Ulraj then stood up to greet one nearby. "Greetings Snow Woman."

She turned to him with a curious expression. "Oh you're a Kumari?" She asked before he could finish introducing himself.

"Oh, yes I am. I am Ulraj, king of Kumari Kandum."

Her expression brightened at that as she gave a slight bow. "Well then your majesty, I am called Crystal. It is an honor to meet you." Two more of the girls took note and joined Crystal in talking to Ulraj.

Another then approached Fiskerton with a smile. "Oh, it's a Lemurian!" She called as she turned to one of her friends.

She approached with an excited expression. "You're right, and he's so handsome." Fiskerton was a bit confused at first, but quickly took to the attention as he took a confident posture. (Well thank you ladies.) Zak rolled his eyes at the scene.

"What's the matter miniman? Jealous?" Doyle teased as he watched Zak observe the ghostly ladies spread through the room, but pass him by.

"What? Why would I be jealous? What would I be jealous of?"

"Maybe because he's getting attention?" Doyle determined as he leaned on his arm.

Zak blushed instantly. "What? No, we are not starting that again! This is not a puberty thing." He decreed before turning away and crossing his arms in agitation. Maddie and the Saturday parents couldn't help but laugh a little at his reaction until Drew noticed Danny entering from a smaller doorway across the room.

"Maddie, over there." She directed.

Maddie's expression instantly brightened when she saw her son. "Danny!" She waved him over, and he quickly noted their position.

"Did you say Danny?" One of the snow women asked as they turned towards the halfa. "It's the Great One!" She suddenly shouted in excitement, and almost all of the others turned to see as well before stampeding towards him.

"What the-" Danny stammered before being surrounded by the female ghosts all clamoring for him. Even the girls who had stopped to talk with Fisk and Ulraj dashed away instantly to see the halfa.

"Now that's a real live chick magnet." Doyle joked since the girls really did just home in on him like a magnetic force.

"You see? Why would I be jealous of someone being suffocated by all those girls?"

Doyle raised a brow at his question before shaking his head. "Trust me, you will."

Meanwhile Danny remained in the center of the crowed as he was bombarded with questions. "Did you really defeat Pariah Dark?"

"Are going to compete in the festival?"

"You're so cute, I can't believe you're not taken."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck with an obvious blush. "Uh well… sorry, but… that's too many questions at once." He then tried to push through them. "I was actually trying to get to my mom, so-"

"That's your mother? She looks sweet." One of them commented as she pulled to the front of the crowd. "Perhaps you could introduce me?" She proposed.

"No fair Taiga!"

"None of us got to ask yet!" Another called out.

"Now now, Taiga. Let him be." A calm voice rang out in a surprisingly soft tone. It was a wonder any of them heard with how loud they were being. They all turned to see Lady Glacia approaching with Frostbite at her side. "Please let the Great One through, and find a seat. We hope to begin shortly." Danny didn't think anything could get him out of that so fast, but Glacia's word seemed to be law for the Snow Women.

"Oh mama, you could have let me finish. I was going to be introduced to his mother." Taiga whined in a childish manner as she approached Glacia.

The older ghost simply smiled knowingly at her daughter. "That would be interesting since I gave you no such permission to marry. You have no business being introduced."

Danny, who was making his way over to his mother, stopped cold when he overheard that. "What?" He turned his head in bewilderment.

Glacia smiled at him and gestured him to move along. "It is nothing for you to worry about Great One."

Frostbite then approached with a grin. "Yes, I would have informed you of the relevance of such a gesture if you had introduced her. Now please, join me at the head table. You may invite your mother to be seated with us as well."

"Uh… thanks Frostbite… he he…" He blushed at the thought before turning back to his mother who was a couple meters away. He really hoped she and the others hadn't heard any of that.

"Are you alright Danny?" His mother asked with expected worry. She hadn't seen him since last night when he was still unconscious.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine. Frostbite told me it was nothing to worry about." He could see she was still a bit worried, but he could also see she trusted him.

"Alright, if you say so then."

"Anyway, Frostbite invited me to sit at the head table. You wanna come?" Maddie seemed slightly surprised since Doyle was rejected before.

"I guess it's no surprise that the Great One gets to sit there." Doyle joked in good fun.

Danny visibly cringed at the name, an action that didn't go unnoticed. "Yeah, he's pretty good like that…" He then turned slightly. "So, you coming?" He asked Maddie again. She turned to the others.

"Go on Maddie, we'll still be here." Drew encouraged knowing full well that she wanted to stay close to her son. With a bit of hesitation she took the invitation, and Danny guided her around to be seated next to him while he sat next to Frostbite himself. They were quickly joined by several of Frostbite's high ranking FarFrozen as well as Lady Glacia, her daughter, and several of the other Snow Women.

Once everyone was settled Frostbite stood back up to speak. "Alright then, I suppose it is time we truly begin the festivities." He began strongly, and confidently. "I am grateful to see many of you have returned once again to celebrate peaceful coexistence, and cooperation. I know many of you come from realms that have been effected by the strange shift of our world; some more than others. I thank you for joining us despite having problems of your own." He then bowed graciously before speaking again. "I would also like to bring your attentions to our location this year. Many of you may remember this castle from the rein of King Cold millennia ago. It was lost to us under the rule of Pariah Dark, but now we are once again able to celebrate here in these halls that fostered peace."

He received cheers from most of the guests as well as his people before he gestured to his right, and Danny almost sank from his seat realizing he was being put on the spot. After waiting for the crowd to die down he cleared his throat to continue. "This is thanks in no small part to the Great One's actions; one whom many of you know as Danny Phantom. I am honored to be able to share this celebration with him and express my gratitude." Cheers rang out again as Frostbite lifted his large chalice in toast. "So now a toast! For continued peace among our peoples, and hopefully all the Infinite Realms!" The cheers escalated a few moments before they partook of the provided beverage.

Conversation quickly erupted from all tables as food was brought out to the guests. "What exactly did you do Danny?" Maddie asked in a curious tone. She honestly had no idea what would ingratiate an entire civilization to her son like this.

"Well I…" He started with an embarrassed expression. He was still a bit put off by the declaration Frostbite had made before.

"It was a great act for which you should be nothing but proud Honored Relative." A snow woman replied as she approached the table with a plate of snow white buns. She then bowed. "By the way, I am sorry I left you behind outside before. I allowed my excitement to get the better of me, and offer my greatest apologies." M

addie furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?... Have we met?"

The ghost gave her a smile, and seemed to chuckle a bit. "I suppose I should have expected that after all, I no longer have a full fur coat or a tail for that matter."

"Permafrost?" Danny questioned after remembering her from before. "Oh wow, you look so different I really didn't recognize you just now."

She looked at him with a smile. "It is a common reaction after a Joining is complete. I take no offense." She informed before placing the tray on the table in front of him. "I prepared these before in hopes you would be in attendance. While it may not have been planned, I am grateful you were here to witness it." She then bowed again before taking her leave.

"So that was Permafrost? Really?" Maddie asked in astonishment. Danny nodded. "Yeah, I saw the change outside."

"Yes, that was the Joining Great One. The ritual in which one FarFrozen pledges themselves to another. It is similar to what you humans call marriage." He then went into a bit more detail about why the change occurs, and its importance for the couple's future.

A little ways away at a side table the Saturdays were having an interesting conversation of their own. "Now I am truly curious as to what he did to win the undying gratitude of the FarFrozen." Ulraj admitted from his seat just beside Zak. "The FarFrozen were always a capable people."

"From what Frostbite said, it must have something to do with this Pariah Dark character, whoever he is."

"Well, I believe I have heard that name before." Drew said as she rubbed her chin. "If I'm not mistaken he's a occult god figure that came around Europe thousands of years ago though not quite as ancient as Kur. Worshiped as a god of death, and patron to the strong as well as those who rule with strength. He is usually referred to as "The Dark Pariah" though and may be unrelated to this one."

"I'm thinking it's likely Drew." The scientist was amazed her husband was so quick to agree, and so she gave him a disbelieving expression. "What? It's not like I can use any scientific logic here. The name matches, and you said he was a god of death so ghost right?" Doc rationalized with minor contempt of the subject matter.

"It's so sweet that you're trying dear." Drew teased as she leaned on his arm with affection.

"Are you humans really so ignorant of one you claim as your companion?" A new voice chided from the other side of Fiskerton. He was adorned in chain-mail, a sword, and a crest with a dragon sat on his armored shoulder. Fiskerton muttered as he looked him over while Zak leaned over the table to see.

"And what exactly does Sir Lancelot know that we don't?" Doyle questioned as he added food from the trays to his own plate.

"I beg your pardon human, but my name is Sir Edward Morgan, and I request you not refer to me by any other name so flagrantly."

Doyle raised a brow at his way of speaking. "Okay…"

"So what do you know about Danny?" Zak asked when Doyle wasn't so quick to do so.

"Sir Phantom you mean?" He almost seemed annoyed by the lack of manners when Zak referred to the halfa.

"You used 'sir', does that mean he's a knight or something?" The boy inquired with a minor roll of his eyes.

"Yes he is." Edward responded plainly. There were several surprised expressions around the group.

"Under what order?" Drew asked very curiously.

"The Knights of the Scale for which I serve as Arch Knight. Sir Phantom, being the first knight of my lady Queen Dorathea, would have held the title of Arch Knight had he not declined the honor for his own reasons."

"Sir Edward, are you bothering these humans?" A well dress pale green woman asked with a frown as she took a seat across from the knight.

"Of course not my lady, I was merely telling them about Sir Phantom. I meant them no disrespect." He responded cordially with a courteous bow of his head.

Dora then nodded with a satisfied expression before turning to the humans. She quickly recognized a few after seeing them outside before. "Oh, I remember you. Are you not Sir Phantom's companions? I remember seeing you after that distasteful run in I had with Lord Igneous." She directed the question at Fisk, Zak, and Ulraj who seemed confused.

"Yeah, but I don't remember you… uh… your majesty?" Zak added in when the knight began to glare at him from the side.

Dora laughed. "Well I suppose I look different when I'm not 30 stories tall, and covered in scales."

"No way! You were the dragon!?" Zak asked in complete disbelief. Fiskerton scratched his head, and crossed his arms with a grunt. (Not a dragon)

"Yes, that was me child." Dora then held up her amulet. "Those of my family line have the power to shape-shift into dragons so long as we wear this amulet." Fiskerton pointed at it and whispered to Zak. (Magic necklace.)

"So I guess if anyone else tried to wear it they wouldn't turn into a dragon?" Doyle wondered between bites.

"Actually they could, but they would have no control over their own power."

"Excuse me my lady, but why are telling these humans such things? Telling the secrets of your power could prove dangerous." Edward warned in a tone of council.

Dora waved it off with a smile. "Save your worries Sir Edward. They are companions of Sir Phantom, and so I believe them just as trustworthy. They do not look as though they would sow unrest." She ended with a teasing tone that made Edward feel a bit foolish. "So now, how is it you all know Sir Phantom?" Dora started as she redirected the conversation.

* * *

As the food dwindled many of the guests moved about the room to socialize. The room was a low roar of conversation, but Danny was still seated with his mom. "Is that what happened to the Ecto-skeleton? That thieving lowlife ghost." She remarked angrily after Danny explained the whole incident with Pariah Dark and how he fought him. His mom asked him more than once to explain, and he definitely didn't want Frostbite making a production out of it.

"Sorry I couldn't bring it back mom." He apologized as he leaned over the table.

Maddie stopped her thoughts over Plasmius to turn to her son in surprise, and a bit of guilt. "No Danny, you don't need to apologize. You fought that evil ghost to protect us, and it wasn't your fault that creep stole the suit when you couldn't fight back." She took him into a hug right there. "I'm just grateful you came back to us. We can always build another suit Danny, you on the other hand… Well, I worry now that I know all the dangerous things you've been getting wrapped up in." She let him go with a worried expression. "And I doubt my worry will go away at all in the future."

Danny gave her an understanding smile and a shrug. "No… I doubt it. I mean someone has to do something, and I just can't sit around waiting when I can make a difference."

"Ah yes Great One, you are most dutiful indeed. You must take solace and pride Honored Relative, that your son does what he believes is right. Was it not a human who said, "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."? While it is normal to worry, I imagine you understand why he does what he does, and trust his judgment." The large FarFrozen wore a grand smile as he pat Danny's head.

The way he hovered over Danny with a grin sort of reminded her of how Jack acted at times. "Yes, I do, and I'm sure Jack will be just as proud Danny." Danny flinched at the mention since he'd forgotten he had to tell his dad. "I know you're anxious about it, but you know Jack, if he hears you caught a ghost he won't give a second thought as to the how." Danny couldn't help but laugh, and Maddie joined him. Jack would always be Jack after all. They'll be lucky if he doesn't shout it from the roof tops in pride.

* * *

 **And done! Hope you enjoyed. Anyone who reads Danny FarFrozen will recognize several things from here, but the secret behind Permafrost is a little different in this story than in that one. Happy New Year!**

 **Please leave comments and questions are welcome!=^-^=**


	19. Chapter 19 - Fun and Games

**Being posted now due to getting sidetracked yesterday, and forgetting to edit...=^-^=**

 **So it's been awhile yes, but I'm a little stressed at the moment. I'll be graduating in the spring and really don't know what to do with myself after... what does one do with a BA in English and an Associates in Science? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter despite the delay. Something really important happens so bear with a strange way I bring it up.=^-^=**

 **Ch. 19 - It's All Fun and Games Until...**

* * *

Danny stumbled a bit on the uneven ice wall in exasperation. "How did I ever get myself into this?" He grumbled as he used his ice staff to steady himself on the ice while keeping his furry opponent in his sights. The crowd all around cheered their enthusiasm as they awaited the action that was sure to take place only moments from now.

Earlier that day:

"Please make your way in an orderly fashion towards the arena! The first event will begin in 30 minutes time! Those who wish to participate should speak with me. Those who merely wish to watch, please follow any FarFrozen guide at the main doors. They will be giving directions until the event begins!" Tundra announced dutifully from the head of the room.

The conversations from all around had died to a small murmur while he made his announcement, but came back to a roar soon enough after. Many of the guests began to rise while continuing their conversations, and headed towards the doors. Danny and his mom decided to regroup with the Saturdays before heading to the arena, but were stopped by Polar. "Where are you going Great One? You should register with Tundra before he leaves for the arena."

"Register?" Danny questioned.

Polar nodded." Yeas, for the first round of competition." He responded as if it were obvious.

Danny scratched his head. "Uh well, I was thinking I would just watch. I did just get out of the infirmary, and I've never come to one of these before…" He trailed off when he saw the unimpressed expression on Polar's face.

"Come now Great One, did you not promise Diamond Dust a rematch?"

Danny furrowed his brow. "I don't remember doing that, and believe me, I would. He's nuts." Danny stated with a dead pan expression. Diamond Dust wasn't really crazy, he was more competitive than most, and it tended to get out of hand.

Polar crossed his arms. "Your companion claimed otherwise. He told Diamond Dust you agreed to a rematch at the festival after you all came to see the mountain luge but a month ago."

Danny raised a brow to think for a moment before it hit him. "Tucker…?" He muttered before a scowl found a way to his face. That's the only person he could be referring to, and now something made sense. After helping him study for exams the techno-geek had simply said, 'You'll just owe me one.' Which was rather odd for him. He normally needed encouragement just to get himself to study let alone help someone else.

"Danny?" His mother called in slight confusion. "Something the matter? It's alright if you want join, Ulraj mentioned their sports sounded pretty fun."

Danny looked up to his mom with an amicable expression. "It's not really that I want or don't want to… I just don't want to deal with Diamond Dust." He then let out a groan and nodded towards Polar. "Alright, I'm going." If Tucker had indeed told Diamond he would do it, he should be thankful the competitive FarFrozen hadn't already dragged him over to Tundra at this point. He was never one to back down from a challenge especially when he'd lost a fight.

"Big brother!" A young girl called as she dashed over towards Polar. She was a little snow woman who looked around 12 or 13 though she was a ghost.

"Ah! Young one! Have you found our brother yet?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug while shaking her head. "No. Lord Frostbite hasn't either. He's not gonna miss the games is he?"

Danny furrowed his brow at the young girl, and remembered back when he was outside. Polar had been holding a little girl before, so this must be her. Polar pat her head affectionately. "Of course not young one, he wouldn't dream of it." Polar then noted Danny's curious expression before realizing his mistake. "Oh, I have yet to introduce you have I?" He asked with an amicable grin. "This is my younger sister-"

"Vega, right?" Danny guessed with a confident smirk.

Polar raised his brow in surprise. "Why yes, that was quite the guess, or perhaps I did introduce you?" He wondered as he looked back at his sister.

Danny shook his head. "Nah, I just guessed cause it made sense. "Thuban, Polaris, and so Vega." He explained as he crossed his arms.

Polar gave him a wry smile. "Very impressive Danny. I should have expected that."

"Duh, and I think Thuban's here." Danny pointed out as he saw the FarFrozen in question approach the Saturdays near their table.

Vega turned immediately with a smile before releasing one brother to get to another. "Big brother!" She dashed over as fast as she could through the crowd, and surprised Thuban as he spoke. "I was hoping to run into- Oh!" He turned in surprise to find the little snow woman clinging to his waist. He quickly grabbed her up in joy. "Hello my little snow star!"

"You took much longer than expected Thuban." Polaris chided with a playful smirk upon approach.

The FarFrozen shrugged with the girl in his arms. "It could not be helped Polaris, but I have arrived before the games started have I not?" He then noticed Danny approaching with his mother. "Great One, I am glad to have run into you while I had the chance. I wanted to inform you of my visit-"

Danny held up his hand to cut him off. "I already know Thuban, and while it was appreciated… please don't do it again." He seemed more bothered than anything as he made his request.

Thuban furrowed his brow with a cross expression. "It was not my intention to cause any problems Great One, but it was a most interesting visit." His face grew a smirk as he reached to his belt.

"I heard…" Danny muttered under his breath.

"Yes, your father is a very good fellow, and he even taught me needle point." He pulled out a doily with a well stitched snowflake pattern at the center.

Maddie was surprised and instantly turned to her son. "Danny, what is he talking about?"

Danny face palmed at the craft. "Jazz had left me so many messages he thought it would be a good idea to go to the house to tell her we were fine." He explained in slight exasperation. He then went on to explain about calling Jazz, and what she'd told him on the phone.

Meanwhile Ulraj was getting particularly excited at seeing the competitions that would soon start. "I can't wait." He expressed as he stood beside Zak who seemed a little agitated. "Something bothering you Zak?" Fiskerton looked down at the boy, and wore a smirk. (Jealous?) He wondered as he nudged his adoptive brother in the shoulder.

"I told you, no." He reinforced. He then turned to see Danny pointing away before walking off towards the FarFrozen who identified himself as Tundra.

"I suppose I shall go as well Great One." Thuban added in as he set Vega down to follow suit.

Zak watched them a moment before getting an idea in his head. "Wait here Fisk, I'll be right back." He then backed away and ran over without his parents noticing him leave. He eventually came upon Tundra who was marking something down on his tablet.

"Alright then Great One. You have been entered into the event. Make sure you make your way to Hailstone for he will be in front of the doors for the competitor's room. You as well Polaris." He directed to the FarFrozen who he'd signed up just before Danny.

Zak waited just behind the FarFrozen as he thought over what he was about to do. He thought over how all of these other ghosts treated Danny like Dora, and Frostbite. Danny had only had his powers for a year, but Zak had had them his whole life. How is it that Danny's done so much compared to him. Granted, they are a few years apart, but should it make this much of a difference? The only real way he could think of to measure that would be in a fight, or in this case, a game. Ulraj said that the games were not easy to play though he didn't have a lot of details on them aside from the snowball fight. If that's all he had to worry about then this shouldn't be a problem. He took a breath and stepped up to Tundra. "Excuse me?"

Tundra looked over his device with a bothered brow. "Yes human?"

"I want to enter one of these competitions. The one Danny's in."

Tundra seemed very skeptical as he lowered his device a bit. "I have no time for jokes little human. I have to get things ready for the arena." He declared before waving the boy off.

"I'm not joking!" Zak protested with a serious expression.

"Ah, Tundra, I seem to have gotten a tad sidetracked, though I hope I am not too late to sign up for competition?"

Tundra quickly turned to Thuban with a smirk. "No, as a matter of fact I do have an open spot for the Ice Bowl in which the Great One is competing. I realize it is a favorite of yours."

Thuban grinned with a raised fist. "Good then I shall join in that one. It has been a few years since Frostbite has held that competition."

"Hello! I asked to join the game with Danny before he did!" Zak interjected in anger that Tundra didn't really bother with.

"I told you little human, that jokes are not something i have time for. This game is no place for you."

Thuban looked at the angry boy with a furrowed brow. "Young One, why do you wish to compete in this game. Do you know how it is played? It can be very dangerous you know." He explained.

Zak crossed his arms. "Yeah dangerous, whatever. I've done plenty of dangerous things, and this is a game right? How dangerous can it be?"

Thuban gave a nod. "While it is not the intention of this game to cause any harm to its players, it is also not against the rules. You could be gravely injured." Thuban tried to reason. "Not to mention you would be at a great disadvantage, and so would your partner for this is a team sport."

"Why don't you think I can do it? You don't even know what I'm capable of!" Zak defended as he pulled out his claw, and took a ready stance. Thuban noted the determination in his eyes. He undoubtedly wanted to prove himself somehow.

The FarFrozen sighed and then turned to Tundra with an amicable tone. "Perhaps you should allow the boy to participate? The others of his family appear to be quite capable for humans, and so he may be as well. You could simply allow him to use his staff instead of one made of ice in order to make it more fair for him. I'm sure Frostbite wouldn't mind."

Tundra furrowed his brow at the ghost before turning to the boy in agitation. He seemed to mull it over before looking down at his charts. "Well I suppose I have room for another team, but he must find his own partner if he is to play. If he can find someone willing to accept him as such, along with the advantages or disadvantages, then I'll allow it."

"Allow me-" Thuban started before being cut off by Tundra.

"I have already assigned you a partner who is far more likely to benefit from your help, so don't even try it." He countered with a pointed tone. "Frost has decided to play now that he is of age." Thuban furrowed his brow at that. Frost would need an experienced player to help him, though the human would most certainly need him more. Arguing with Tundra was seldom ever successful however.

"Tundra! Is it true that you have registered the Great One the first event?!" A loud FarFrozen demanded as he forced his way through as small crowd.

Tundra winced at the ghost's voice and sighed. "Yes I have Diamond Dust, but I haven't anymore positions left in that event."

"What's this!? I am owed a rematch with him, and require admittance since one can only compete in one event!" He declared in outrage much to Tundra's annoyance.

"Diamond Dust you'll just have to-"

"Actually Diamond Dust, I know of a way you can compete in that event." Thuban interjected as he placed a hand on Zak's shoulder.

* * *

"Here you are Honored Relative and guests." Winterfall announced as he lead them to their seats in the arena.

He gestured Maddie to the closest spot to Frostbite's throne, and Drew took a spot next to her. "So what is this game Danny's playing in?"

Maddie took a moment to think. "He said it was called the Ice Bowl, and had teams. Apparently they try and score the most points by getting balls into their goals."

"Sounds like every sport ever." Doyle commented from just below them. "Easy."

"You think human?" A young snow woman suddenly cut in as she approached from the lower seats. "You may have to rethink that assumption once the game begins."

"Miss Taiga, you should take your place with your mother. The game is sure to begin shortly." Winterfall suggested from his position behind the group. She rolled her eyes and left as told, but not before flashing them a teasing smile that sent shivers through all who saw it.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about. If it really was dangerous then they probably wouldn't have let Zak enter-" Ulraj pointed out before Fisk immediately tried to shush him, but Ulraj had already said too much.

Doc looked over to him in outrage. "Zak did what?!" Drew immediately turned to the playing field where several of the players already stood.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Zak? I mean these games are really dangerous. I wouldn't even being playing if I didn't think Diamond Dust would drag me to something worse." Danny explained as he walked out with Zak in toe.

"Of course. If you can do it then I can do it. Besides, it's a game Danny." Zak responded with confidence. "And I just happen to have the best teammate." He gestured to the red band on his arm and then to the FarFrozen it matched.

"...Wait, Diamond Dust?! Are you kidding me? He's the worst teammate!"

Zak crossed his arms confidently. "Well he and every other yeti guy I asked said he wins competitions all the time."

"Yeah, but not ones involving teams Zak." Danny said with exasperation. "He's-"

"Come young human! We must prepare for the game to start." The FarFrozen in question approached with a competitive expression that he directed at Danny. "Know, Great One, that I shall win this challenge!" He then encouraged Zak to move with a rough shove towards their marked goal. The area was marked with four goal posts, and each had a spiked pit behind it.

"Danny! Over here! Frostbite will be announcing the start in but a moment!" Polar called waving his arm with the blue band in the air.

Danny let out a sigh while taking a glance at his matching one before complying to his teammate's call. "At least **I** have a good partner." As he stood beside Polaris at their goal he noticed Thuban beside a somewhat smaller FarFrozen who had light grey stripes along his arms. Anything but solid white fur was uncommon for a FarFrozen, but in most cases the markings were so light it was hard to see them from afar. Hailstone, who was a part of the only remaining team, was one such FarFrozen in that he had light grey leopard spots spotting his back.

"I'll take point Danny, and you watch my back when the first ball enters the field." Polar whispered just as Frostbite began to speak.

"Greetings guests, and welcome to our Ice Arena! I imagine most of you can identify our first event simply by the goal gates present, but I know we have some guest who are unaware. For them I shall provide a brief explanation." He then gestured behind himself where a large digital score board appeared. "This game is comprised of teams of two with usually 3 teams total though more is perfectly fine. Each team will work to catch one of the many ice balls that will be let loose in the field and get them into their goals to be crushed at the bottom to reveal a ring. Gold rings are 6 points, silver ones are 4 points, and black ones are 2 points. A team only gets the points if the ball shatters in the goal, and rings brought through the goal outside of their ice shell are worth half! The team with the most points after 5 rounds is victorious!" The crowd cheered as he turned back to face the playing field. "Now I shall delay no further! Let the ice Bowl begin!" He shouted and the crowd got even louder.

The roar of the crowd was quickly matched by a strange rumble from below as the field began to sink down to resemble a slick bowl shape with level ridges marking around in two places. The teams stood on the lower ring in anticipation with a few being a tad disoriented. "What's going on!?" Zak cried as he tried not to fall over from the shaking.

"Calm yourself human. This is merely the start of the game!" Diamond Dust insisted in slight annoyance. "Why did you think it was called the Ice Bowl?" His disorientation ebbed a bit as the bowl finished its formation, but quickly felt it again as a massive ball of ice sailed over head to strike the ice bowl below them. It rolled along the sides a few seconds before being joined by two more. "Let us go!" The competitive FarFrozen shouted as he dashed down to head one off.

Zak peeked over the edge of the ridge, and nearly slipped on the slick ice. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." He lamented.

"Alright Danny, this one here!" Polar directed to the ball with a silver glint in it. He then ran down to slide gracefully over the slopping ice.

"Got your back Polar." He responded as he followed with a confident tone.

Zak watched from afar as Danny slid down like the FarFrozen, and seemed to have no problems what so ever about slipping. "How is he doing that?" Danny appeared to be guiding himself down with the ice staff he held which was the only tool any of the others had too. He looked at his Claw and extended it to be longer like the ice staffs were. "Okay, I got this..." He said with minor confidence before stepping off the side. He quickly lost the confidence as he slid down faster than he liked, and was soon sliding back up the other side with no control.

"Stay out of the way human!" The smallest FarFrozen called as he directed an ice ball with his staff. He grabbed Zak's shirt with his free hand and tossed him to the side to slide again and be out of his way.

"Hey!" Zak countered as he hooked the wall with his Claw's hooked end.

"Over here Frost!" Thuban called as he stood beside the goal marked yellow. Frost smacked the ball hard, and though it went off course a bit, Thuban was easily able to move it into their goal. After the ice was heard shattering another FarFrozen watching at the top with a black band held up 2 claws. "Black ring!" He shouted and the score board changed to indicate the points.

"What are you doing Zak?" Danny asked as he slid by keeping his eye on Polaris as he directed their ball. "Why aren't you helping Diamond Dust?" He skidded to a halt next to him while standing straight at an impossible angle.

"How the heck are you not falling!? That Tundra guy said you weren't allowed to use anything but ice in this game."

Danny looked down at his feet. "Uh ghosts can walk up vertical surfaces Zak. It's a given, so I guess that's why Tundra didn't say anything to you about it."

"Aw come on! How is that fair!" Zak groaned as Danny pulled him up to the lower ring. "It's not. That's why you shouldn't have entered." He then ducked reflexively along with Zak as one of the ice balls sailed over them. "There's also the threat of being crushed I guess, but that was a bit more obvious."

"Danny! I need cover!" Polar called as he directed an ice ball but with Diamond Dust on his heels.

"I'm coming Polar!" He then turned back to Zak. "Look, I'm sure someone told you about how dangerous this was, but that obviously didn't stop you." He then gestured to his shoes. "Let me see your shoes a minute."

* * *

"Looks like Mini-man's in over his head with this one." Doyle commented with crossed arms.

"I can't believe he'd do something so reckless!" Doc roared in agitation.

"Really dear?" Drew chided with equal agitation and worry. She then sighed as she watched. "This is exactly the kind of thing he would do." They watched as a FarFrozen pushed him aside, and he now hung from his Claw.

"I'm sure they won't let him come to any real harm Drew..." Maddie tried to comfort while a little too worried about her own son who actually seemed to know what he was doing.

"Hey look Drew, Danny's get 'em!" Doyle directed as he pointed. "See?" She could only guess what they were talking about as one of the ice balls sailed over them. They stayed together a moment more before Danny dashed off, and rocketed around the ice bowl to his partner.

Zak then stood up, and surprisingly enough started to run around with barely any trouble. Danny was able to thwart Diamond Dust's attempt to steal their points, and Polar slammed the ball into their goal garnering them 4 points. The first round ended a minute later with the sounding of a horn. "Human, what are you doing? Are you even trying to get us any points?" Diamond Dust railed as the teams regrouped on the higher ring in front of their goals.

"Of course I am, but it's not exactly easy Mr. Giant yeti ghost! I can barely dodge those balls let alone hit them."

Diamond Dust rolled his eyes. "Whatever human. If you haven't the strength to move them, them then why not impede the other teams? Do something to prove yourself more than an obstacle." He spat in annoyance at being paired with him. He thought having a small human partner would make it more of a challenge, but this was more of a hindrance. The arena rumbled again as large ice spikes protruded from the walls all around the bowl. "Round 2 begin!" The referee FarFrozen called, and the players entered the bowl again.

* * *

Present Time:

It was the beginning of round five, and Danny was trying to guard Polar as Diamond Dust made another charge for the ball containing a gold ring. He'd already knocked Danny flat on his back several times in the game, and was more than eager to do it again in pursuit of victory. "Just a little longer Danny, I almost have it!" Polar knocked the ball to the side so he could prepare to angle it again. When Diamond Dust held his staff long ways to ram Danny the halfa reflexively fell back to slide between his legs as he charged forward. The FarFrozen was bewildered by the move considering it was usually impossible for a FarFrozen to do so, and didn't think to stop his charge. He slammed right into the ball which caused a severe crack to form as it rolled around Polar and to the bottom.

Zak was rummaging through one of the destroyed balls, that crashed into one of the massive ice spikes, for points. He may not be strong enough to move the boulder sized ice, but he could grab a ring, and Diamond Dust owed at least half of their points to Zak grabbing the discarded rings the others didn't bother with. He pulled a silver ring out of the ice just in time to see the ice ball headed straight for him. "Oh man!" He wiped his Claw up, and launched the grapple which he'd been using to effectively move around the bowl faster. It latched on one of the ridges, and he was pulled out of the way just as the ball shattered into the ice spikes. He could hear cheers as he did so, and waved to the stands to his parents, who had grown a bit more comfortable, with the ring in hand.

"Zak! Look out!" Danny shouted to indicate the ice ball heading straight for him.

"Oh come on!" He tried to swing differently, but quickly figured out he had to let go of his Claw to evade it. He launched wider with plenty of room to spare, but couldn't get any bearings on the ice once he landed. He half slid and half rolled down to the bottom of the bowl in a semi conscious state that was only partially impeded as he clipped several ice spikes on his way down. Danny watched horrified as he approached the large ice pit at the bottom that was revealed at the start of that round. Every round had made the bowl more hazardous either to the players or the balls they needed intact. The large pit proved to be most effective in destroying more than half of the balls launched that round.

"Zak!" Danny called as he jumped into a slid to cut him off at the bottom, but with all of the obstacles in the way he wasn't moving fast enough. "Damn it! I should have made him quite after Frost got knocked out." He berated himself. Seeing the impending danger, several of the other players stopped playing to slid down and assist.

"He's too close Great One!" Thuban called as he smashed an ice spike impeding his decent. Danny rolled forwards, and took off flying no longer caring about the games rules. Zak snapped out of his daze just as he swung into the hole, and while he attempted to stop himself with the ice spikes Danny had put on his shoes, they had worn down too much through the game. The whole scene seemed to shift into slow motion as Zak failed to grip the slippery side of the pit, and glanced back at the razor sharp spikes that were sure to impale him on the way down.

He went into a slow free fall as Danny flew desperately to catch him in time, but was still too far away. "Stop! STOP!" And suddenly it felt as though everything did. " _By your will."_ Came a strange thought, but not a voice. It had no sound. Zak had stopped falling and now appeared to be floating in place. Danny didn't waste a second as he rushed to him, and grabbed his arm as soon as he could. He could feel this strange energy well filling his chest as he flew around to the higher rim.

He let Zak down gently, and the boy took a relieved breath. "Oh man I thought I was going to be Swiss cheese!" He took one hand to grip his head while the other held him up.

"You're lucky you weren't." Danny responded as he took a second to finally breathe. "If I hadn't been nearby you definitely would be."

Zak gave a nod before holding out his fist. "Thanks Danny." Danny returned the gesture though their little victory was short lived. The horn marking the end of the round sounded which brought them back to the noise of the arena. The crowd was louder than ever as the final scores flashed onto the screen. Blue, and yellow were tied for first, red was second and green was last. Even through the roar of the crowd Danny couldn't shake the strange feeling that overcame him earlier. The soundless voice still echoed in his thoughts.

* * *

After Frostbite announced the game's end Danny helped Zak get to the infirmary. It was only unfortunate that the Saturday parents were there only minutes later with frowns over their son's actions. "Zak! What did you think you were doing!?"

"You were almost killed!" They yelled as they stood to either side of the boy. Danny was quickly feeling relieved that he wasn't the one being yelled at.

"It was only a game... I didn't think it would be that dangerous." He defended as he rubbed a sore shoulder.

Drew crossed her arms. "You must not have, and you didn't even tell us?"

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have let me join." He countered with a sheepish tone.

"You're darn right we wouldn't have!" Doc reinforced. "And we would have been right too. You almost died!"

"But I didn't right?" He responded as he leaned back from the angry tone of his father.

"That's not the point Zak." Drew started in more worry then anger. "If Danny hadn't gotten there so fast, you would have. You need to start thinking about the consequences of your actions. Just because you're a kid doesn't mean you can't die." She almost looked like she could cry as she leaned down to hug him.

"It only makes things worse that Danny got disqualified for saving him." Doyle grumbled from a few feet away. Fisk nodded as he looked to Danny. (It's not fair)

"I don't think Lord Frostbite wanted to make that call either, but he did break the rules." Ulraj countered with a slightly dissatisfied tone. "And he has to refrain from favoritism."

"He's right you know, and it's just a game." Danny agreed with his arms crossed.

Maddie placed a hand on his shoulder with a proud smile. She'd seen a whole new side of her son in that game. Danny had never shown interest in sports, and while this one was terrifying to watch, her son did very well. "Yes, but I would feel much better about it if you don't plan to do anything like that again any time soon." She stated in worry while squeezing his shoulder. "I don't think I could sit idly by like that again." It took every once of self control she had not to jump down to the arena herself.

Danny nodded in understanding. "Believe me, I don't want to. They're fun to watch, but taking part hurts." He rolled his shoulder which had taken a hit to express the soreness.

"Great One, I must say you were quite splendid in the bowl." Thuban announced upon his entry. He had a young Snow Woman with him who dashed over to another bed occupied by Frost. "While you were disqualified, I still credit you and Polaris with being able to keep up with me."

Danny gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, the two of us being able to keep up with you. That really makes me feel better."

Thuban slammed a claw on his back sportingly which caused Danny to flinch on impact. "You should know, I'm quite skilled in that game. That is why I was paired with Frost. It was only unfortunate that he be knocked out before the final round, but he did well for his first year." He then moved over to check on the young FarFrozen.

"Oww..." Danny groaned as he finally let the pain from the impact settle in.

"You okay?" His mother asked with minor worry by this point.

"Yeah but that's gonna hurt tomorrow..." He grumbled in response.

When he looked back towards Zak he noticed they were staring to the door. All eyes were no on the graceful form of Lady Glacia as she practically hovered over the ground. She stopped beside Zak's bed and gave him a rewarding smile. "You should be quite proud, humans, of his performance. He was at such a disadvantage, and still managed to place second."

"Placing second or not, he doesn't need to rewarded for being reckless." Drew countered though she had to admit she got excited whenever Zak managed to score points.

Lady Glacia gave her a smirk before nodding and turning to Frost who seemed rather worse for wear. "How is he Thuban?"

"He is doing quite well Lady Glacia. I do not think he needs more than a few hours rest."

"That's good to hear." She responded with only slight interest in her voice. She sounded cold when addressing anyone it seemed. She then turned her eyes to Danny who was trying to work the kink in his shoulder. "And You Great One?... No, Danny? How do you fare?" She inquired with a strange look in her eye. She gave him the strangest feeling like she knew something he didn't.

"Me uh... I'm fine really."

"I am glad to hear it. You are a rare find in character." She expressed with a smile that only unnerved the halfa. "A most splendid choice." She finished before turning about.

"Does she creep anyone else out?" Doyle commented once she left the room.

"Do not speak that way of Lady Glacia!" The young Snow Woman reprimanded from a few feet away. "It is an honor for her to come all this way to speak with anyone."

"Calm yourself Flurry." Thuban declared with a stern tone. "They do not mean her disrespect, I'm sure." He gave a pointed look to Doyle who raised his hands defensively. "She does tend to come off rather unnerving to strangers, but it is her nature." He explained before looking back at Danny. "She is a very wise ghost, and does have purpose to her actions." He didn't quite understand why she'd been so interested in the Great One, but he knew it meant something important.

* * *

 **So yeah, I really did just invent that game an hour or so before typing this. It probably sounds familiar cause pretty much any ball game is basically like that. The original idea was something akin to football because it's a dangerous but popular sport, but then I thought, that's boring! Let's add ice spikes! Boulder sized ice balls! And to top it all off? Put it in a slippery bowl to make things crazy! (Yes this was inspired by the mention of the Super Bowl.) Anyway, I know some of you probably didn't care much about the game, but it's what it led up to that was important. Also, it wasn't time that stopped before, but Zak only.**

 **Anyway, I'm hoping that's enough to explain anything odd, but feel free to ask in a comment. Let me know how you felt about it.=^-^=**


End file.
